She's Your Daughter
by Predec2
Summary: Paternity is relative according to how much trouble one gets into at the time.  Mainly Post Season 5 AU fluff starring my two favorite boys; Brian/Justin.
1. The Toddler Years: Trouble on Two Legs

_A/N: Just a little bit of shmoopy fluff before I return to the world of drama known as my other stories - LOL! OOC for Brian, I suppose, but hope you enjoy nonetheless...! _

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"Shit! Justin!"

"Yeah?"

"Will you come up here and retrieve your daughter? She just threw my car keys into the fucking toilet again!"

Justin bit back a laugh as he placed his omelet pan down on a separate burner and wiped his hands on one of their royal blue dishtowels. "I'm coming, don't panic," he called to Brian as he walked briskly up the imposing steps of Britin's mahogany staircase. He could hear voices filtering down from above as he approached the second floor landing and turned to the left toward the end of the hallway.

"Now why did you do that to Daddy's keys, Little Girl?" came the gentle reproachment. "You know he has to go to work. And Daddy's car doesn't unlock too easily after some little stinker throws his key fob into the toilet."

Justin curled his lips together in amusement as he heard the customary, high-pitched, lilting squeal in response. As he located the sound of their voices, he stopped at the entrance to his and Brian's impressive, master bathroom to secretly relish the sight of father and daughter. Brian was bouncing their daughter as he balanced her on one hip and held his toothbrush in his free hand. The little toddler was happily trying to remove a towel from around her father's neck as she giggled in response to his attempts at evading her. Justin decided as hard as it was to believe, the sight of his just-out-of-the-shower husband was even more sexier with their daughter being held in his arms. Of course, any time one could bask in the sight of Brian's half-naked, glistening wet, toned body dressed in only a towel that was hanging provocatively around his trim waist, that was _always_ a fetching sight to behold any time...

"So you think this is funny, huh, Issy?" Brian murmured. "Well, let's see how funny this is when I can't go to work and you run out of diapers." As he spit out his toothpaste in the sink and placed his brush down beside the vanity before running some water in the bowl, he leaned down to place a kiss on his daughter's fair-haired head before he glanced back into the mirror to notice Justin gazing back at him with a soft smile on his face.

"So she's _my _daughter now, is she?" Justin asked, as he walked the few steps into the bathroom to scoop his and Brian's daughter up into his arms. "How come she's always MY daughter when she's up to no good?"

Brian seemed to contemplate the reasons as he mentally ticked them off in his head. "Uh….blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin, always into mischief…..Yep, your daughter, all right. Especially in Kodak moments such as these." He reached over to grasp the handle of a white, disposable plastic toilet bowl cleaner with a grabber on the end and used it to retrieve his car keys from the bottom of the toilet bowl. He held the dripping keys over the sink as he turned toward Justin and, nose wrinkled in distate, stated, "You do realize this is the third key fob she's managed to ruin since she learned how to walk last month. Do you know how much these fucking things cost?"

Justin grinned as he rolled his eyes; Isabella merely wrapped her little, chubby hands around her Daddy's neck and peered back at the brunet innnocently in response. "Well, maybe _someone_ should keep his keys out of reach of little inquisitive hands downstairs and this wouldn't happen."

Brian dropped his keys on top of the vanity and pulled off the plush towel that had been wrapped around his waist; he smirked as he noticed his husband's eyes immediately light up in desire as they quickly raked up and down his body appreciatively. _Nice to know I've still got it…_

"You know I like to keep them by the door on the table so I can grab them on the way out."

"Yeah, well, so does Issy…..try hanging them on the hook above it instead, _Daddy." _

"Gee, thanks for the advice, Sunshine," Brian muttered as he wiped the keys off with a hand towel. "I never would have thought of that." He began to walk by the blond toward their bedroom to get dressed when he stopped long enough to place another kiss on their daughter's cheek this time. "Issy," he whispered huskily, "Tell Daddy that I'll meet him in the master bedroom this evening for his Weekly Date Night – maybe he'll get lucky tonight after you go to bed."

"Cheapskate," Justin grumbled good-naturedly as he twisted his face upward to look into the toned, bronzed features of the man he had married about three years ago and kissed him deeply. Just when he had thought Brian couldn't come up with any more surprises, he had fooled him shortly afterward by convincing him he really _did_ want to raise a child with him; the only stipulation was that they would use Justin's sperm for the donation, because he wanted a miniature version of him, not another clone of Gus, even though he was crazy about his son. To Brian's delight, when Isabella came along, she had proven to be exactly what he had been hoping for – a little girl with golden hair, long eyelashes, blue eyes like a crystal-clear sea, and a smile that wouldn't quit, just like her father's. "Sure you can afford me, Mr. Kinney? I've got pretty expensive tastes."

Brian smirked as he looked first at Justin, and then at their daughter, who was smiling back at him with the same sort of "Gotcha" look on her face, even though she had no possible idea what they were talking about. _Little fucker – no WONDER she has me wrapped around her little, chubby finger – just like someone ELSE I know…. _

As the little girl gurgled happily in Justin's arms and placed her fingers in front of her father's mouth, Brian shook his head at the surreal picture in front of him as he watched Justin growl playfully and start nipping at the little girl's fingers with his teeth; she squealed and giggled once more in delight at the ticklish touch. As his heart warmed at the sight, Brian couldn't help wondering to himself, _Who would have thought his life would have ever turned out this way into some sort of Twilight Zone form of homo domestic happiness? _But truthfully, he couldn't deny it – he was fucking loving every minute of it…..although, he could without the fishing for key fobs in the toilet bowl...

"Well, while you keep _your daughter_ out of trouble, Sunshine, I'm going to finish getting dressed so I can continue to keep you AND our Princess in the luxury to which you have both become accustomed. What time is Jennifer coming to pick Issy up?"

Justin shifted their daughter in his arms before stating, "About 9. And I can certainly use the free time away from our little tornado today; thank goodness my Mom loves to spoil her rotten. I've GOT to get that commissioned painting done today or I'll miss out on the early completion bonus the guy promised me. That bonus will pay for a hell of a lot of baby lotion and shampoo."

Brian smirked. "Good…..at least she'll continue to smell and feel soft to the touch at BOTH ends…..just like someone _else_ I know." Justin blushed while Brian reached down to grasp him by the neck and pull him close enough to bestow another brief kiss before pulling back from father and daughter. "Sure Jennifer couldn't be talked into letting our little rebel rouser spend the night with her tonight?" he whispered huskily. "I could use a little adult R and R with someone's Daddy."

Justin felt his face flush at the darkened eyes of desire staring back at him; his almost visceral reaction to that look had never changed – and never will; as he stared into Brian's hazel eyes, he knew he would always feel the same way that he had felt that first night standing under that fateful streetlamp. "I'll see what I can do, _Dad_," Justin breathlessly promised, smiling softly.

Brian returned his smile with a tender look before nodding and walking past the two of them to enter their bedroom and get dressed.

As Issy cooed toddler talk to herself while she lay happily in his arms, Justin smiled down into the cherubic, pale face of their daughter - his and Brian's - and thought to himself, _Life doesn't get any better than this..._


	2. Kindergarten is a Scary Place for Dads

"Brian? If you don't get going right now, she's going to miss the _bus_!" Justin wiped his hands on a paint-stained rag before placing his brush down temporarily. This was the third time this morning he had reminded his husband that their daughter had to be out at the end of the driveway by 7:30 and so far there didn't seem to be any movement from downstairs; the only sound he could hear was the tick-tick-tick of the large grandfather clock on the second floor, counting off the seconds before the bus was due. "Brian? Did you hear me?" he called out a little louder now.

Exasperated when he didn't receive a response after a few seconds, he walked down the steps of his attic studio in search of father and daughter. His heart suddenly began to hammer in his throat when he distinctly heard Issy saying from somewhere below, "Daddy…I can't breathe!" _Can't breathe? _He had warned Brian about giving their daughter toys that had small parts in them; in fact, he had just confiscated a paper and coins money set Issy had been playing with last night while she had been pretending to go grocery shopping. Had she somehow gotten into it again this morning and swallowed one of the hard, plastic coins? Horrible thoughts of her daughter gasping for breath and turning blue invaded his thoughts as he headed recklessly toward the second-floor landing.

"Brian!" He shouted frantically, his voice cracking with fear as he ran down the next set of steps two at a time, rushing toward the sound of his daughter's voice. "Issy! Brian!" he cried out. "Where ARE you? ANSWER ME!" _Please, God…. _

It seemed like an eternity passed before he finally heard Brian's voice. "Keep your smock on, Sunshine, we're down here," was his nonchalant reply. Justin continued to hurry down the steps as fast as he could, wondering what was happening; he was somewhat bewildered by Brian's seemingly unconcerned tone of voice. Should he be calling 911? What the fuck was going _on_? How could Brian be so casual about their daughter choking?

He grabbed the banister's pillar to catch himself at the bottom of the elaborate, curved staircase; as he immediately slid on his stockinged feet and twisted to the right to start down the hallway toward the foyer, he stopped at the sight he saw several feet in front of him. There, standing just inside the entrance door, was his blonde-haired little girl wearing a pink backpack, her blue eyes flashing in annoyance as her bottom lip stuck out in displeasure. Brian was kneeling behind her, cursing and muttering to himself as he tried unsuccessfully to loosen the black, nylon straps hopelessly twisted on her back. "It's still too tight, Daddy!" she reported, slightly stomping her foot. "We're going to miss the bus! We have to go _now_‼"

"Well, if it hadn't taken us fifteen minutes to brush your hair earlier, Princess, we'd still be on time," he heard Brian grunt in reply.

Justin let out an enormous breath of relief as he walked up to father and daughter. If he hadn't been terrified out of his fucking mind just a few seconds earlier, he would have laughed at the sight. It would still be a few minutes before his heart would start beating normally again, but at least he knew things were all right now. He plastered on a look of _I knew it all the time_ before he stopped to stare in interest at Brian's inability to solve their daughter's dilemma.

Brian glared up at him in response. "Well, are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me get these fu…..these straps loosened? This is the biggest crock of sh…..This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever _seen_!" he fumed. "They should give you instruction manuals for these things! I assembled her BIKE faster than THIS‼" he groused.

Justin pursed his lips tightly together for a moment, trying hard not to laugh in relief at Brian's queen out before he walked over and knelt down next to him. "Don't worry, Honey," he told their daughter. "I'll help Daddy get them fixed for you. I'm ambidextrous," he proudly announced to her as Brian gave him a look of disgust.

Issy twisted her face in puzzlement, trying briefly to figure out just what that word meant; by the look on her other father's face, he apparently knew, but at the moment there were more important matters to take care of as far as _she_ was concerned. "Hurry, Papa!" she entreated. "I don't wanna miss my _ride_!"

"Hmphff!" Brian snorted. "Like father, like daughter," he commented dryly; he watched in amazement as Justin adeptly pulled each strap up to loosen it before rethreading them back through the buckle and folding them under for added safety. "How do you DO that?" he wondered as Justin merely shrugged in reply.

"Just keep it up with those types of comments, _Dad,_" Justin whispered, "And your _ride_ will be out of commission tonight." Brian grinned back at him and raised his eyebrows innocently as he curled his lips under, knowing full well that his husband wouldn't dare miss their nightly ritual of fucking and making love after their daughter's bedtime tonight. Who would have thought they would have ever had to fucking _schedule_ it, anyway?, he thought, shaking his head in amazement over how things had turned upside when this miniature Justin look-alike had entered their lives five years ago….He couldn't imagine it any other way, now, though, as he looked down tenderly at his daughter, who was growing more and more impatient by the second to get started on her grand adventure.

Justin stood up and turned Issy around by her shoulders to place a kiss on her forehead. "All set, sweetheart – you've still got time; don't worry." He marveled at Brian's ability to tame her long, thick blond hair that he had managed to gather at the back of her head with an elastic band; two Tinkerbell barrettes were resting on either side of her head to hold back her bangs that always threatened to hide her expressive, blue eyes. She was wearing pink and white gym shoes, blue jeans with rhinestones on the pockets, and a long-sleeved, pink and silver t-shirt that proudly announced "Daddy's Princess" to the rest of the world.

"You look beautiful, Baby," Justin told her, smiling as the little girl beamed back at him. "How about a hug before you leave? You're going to have such a great time at school! Did you remember your crayons and paper?"

She nodded at her father as she reached her hands up to him. He scooped her up into his arms for a bear hug briefly before placing her back down at his feet. "I want to hear all about your day when you get home, okay? I'll meet you at the end of the driveway after school and you can tell me all about it." Justin was so delighted that he could work out of his attic studio and be there when their daughter returned from school; he secretly knew that Brian wouldn't have exactly rebelled at having the same luxury with her, too, but his advertising business required him to make regular sojourns into Pittsburgh to meet with clients. One advantage of owning his business, though, was that he could wait with their daughter for her bus at the end of the driveway each day before he drove to work.

Brian watched the scene between the father and daughter bookends; the same color hair, same smile, same blue eyes. He felt doubly blessed at that moment to have two such wonderful humans in his life, but some days he wished he had a manual to use where their daughter was concerned. He hadn't needed one with Gus since Lindsey and Mel had possession of him most of the time – but with Issy, everything was new to him, even figuring out how to fasten her fucking backpack. Thank goodness Justin was around to help figure these complicated matters out.

He focused his attention back to Justin as he heard him ask, "Have you got your car keys ready? You've got about five minutes to get her out to the end of the driveway before the bus comes."

He reached in his pocket to pull out his key fob and dangle the keys in front of the blond for proof. "Right here….and still dry, too," he added, stealing a quick glance over at their daughter.

"Daddy, I don't do that anymore!" Issy huffed, insulted as the two men laughed.

Now, as Brian realized it was time for them to leave, he found himself hesitating. Issy was so young, and she would be riding on that big bus all by herself. Was she old enough to do this? This was his little girl here…..

"Brian? You'd better get going," he heard Justin cautioning him. He looked over at his husband and nodded. "Okay," he agreed, but he didn't move to comply.

Issy reached up to take her father's hand and gaze up at him. "Daddy, come on," she pleaded; everything was fixed now, so she couldn't understand what the problem was. She tried to tug on Brian's hand to get him to move toward the door but her father's feet seemed to be cemented to the floor.

Justin frowned, perplexed by Brian's actions; he could see the indecision in the handsome face as he remained rooted to his spot in the foyer. "Something wrong?" he asked. "Brian?"

"Are you sure she'll be all right on the bus, Justin? Maybe it'd be better if I drive her to school myself."

Justin smiled, realizing what was wrong now. He walked over to brush the hair back tenderly from the brunet's forehead. "She'll be fine, Dad," he assured her. "You're not even heading in the same direction, and she's already had a tour of the school. Her teacher will be waiting for her by the bus to take her inside to the class along with the other new students. You know how excited she is about riding the bus – she'll do just fine. She's Brian Kinney's daughter for fu…uh, for _Pete's_ sake, remember?"

Brian peered into the insightful, loving eyes of his partner. "You really think so?" He was amazed at how something this simple could make him feel so fucking terrified, but it was their daughter, for fuck's sake, and it was a very scary world out there.

Justin placed his forehead against the other man's for a couple of seconds before pulling back and saying, "Yeah, I really do. We can't protect her 24/7, Brian. You of all people should know that. Have faith in her – she has my genes after all."

Brian looked down at his daughter, so much like the man who was responsible for bringing her into this rather intimidating world; yeah, she _did_ come from a very hearty, courageous stock. He would have to rely on that today; that still didn't mean he wouldn't worry about her every second of the day, though. "Okay," he decided, reaching over to grab Justin by the neck to pull him in for a brief but deep kiss. He reluctantly pulled away as he heard a distinctive huff of impatience coming from nearby. The two lovers shared a mutual smile as Brian said, "Okay, Little Girl, let's get going. Tell Papa goodbye."

Issy bounced excitedly on her feet, now that she figured it was finally time to go. "Bye, Papa!" she cried out, beaming. "Have to go!" she announced, pulling her other father toward the door.

"Bye, Honey! Have a great time in school!" Justin smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm as Brian turned the knob to open the door as a sudden realization occurred to him. "Wait just a second!" he exclaimed. "She's forgetting her lunch!" He rushed down the hallway to the kitchen to retrieve their daughter's vinyl lunch box festooned with Disney Princess characters all over it. Running back to the front door, he handed it over to Brian. "Now you're ready," he proclaimed, smiling proudly at his family.

"Later, Papa," Brian called out to Justin as Issy waved back at him with a beaming smile; Brian waggled his eyebrows at him and winked just as he closed the door behind them. Feeling like a hurricane had just blown out, Justin stood there for a few moments, noticing the sudden, unusual quiet before turning to slowly trudge back down the hallway toward the stairs to resume his latest art consignment. Before Izzy came along, he had always relished those moments of solitude when he could really concentrate on his work; now, with both Brian and her gone, he noticed how much he actually craved the craziness that went along with their unorthodox, little family unit. _Hope you have fun, little Angel_, he thought as he slowly walked up the steps. _And I hope your OTHER daddy survives it..._

* * *

Brian was inexplicably quiet on the short drive down the paved road. He still wasn't sure this was a good idea, but he knew how much their daughter had been looking forward to her first day at school, and her first journey on the big, yellow bus. Unlike some children who dreaded their first day of kindergarten and who practically cowered under their bed at the thought of being forced to attend school, Issy had been talking nonstop all week about nothing else but her first day as a student. Now, armed with a brand-spanking new backpack, Armani clothes, and a spotless lunchbox studded with gems, she was hardly able to sit still at the thought of her imminent adventure.

Brian slowed the car down to a stop at the end of the driveway, leaving the motor idling. He could just make out the shape of what appeared to be his daughter's school bus stopped about a mile down the road, picking up another child. Soon it would be time for him to say goodbye to his little girl.

Reluctantly, he opened the car door and walked around the front to the passenger side. Opening up the other door, he leaned in and extended his hand out to his daughter. "Looks like the bus is coming, Princess," he told the excited child, who clapped her hands in delight as she quickly took her father's hand and rushed to scoot out of the seat.

Brian stood there in the crisp, fall air, clasping the tiny, pale hand of his daughter as they waited together for the quickly-approaching vehicle. As it slowed down in front of the driveway, Brian turned to his daughter and squatted down next to her. "You have a great time today, Issy. And make sure you eat all your lunch, you hear? And don't forget your ABCs and how to write your name, okay? Color me and Papa a real pretty picture and bring it home so we can hang it up next to some of Papa's." He knew he was stalling and sounding like an overbearing, hovering parent, but he couldn't help it; he _was_.

"Daddy….." Issy reproached him, using the same tone of voice that he often heard from Justin when he was procrastinating. She pulled on the sleeve of his suit jacket urgently. "I have to go, Daddy," she told her father as the bus slowly came to a stop in front of the long, curved driveway. The air brakes issued a loud hissing sound as the driver pulled on a worn, metal handle inside and the two accordion doors swung open, silently inviting their newest student to come inside.

An older, plump woman smiled down at the enchanting picture of father and daughter – fortunately for Brian, the schools here were very diligent about making their newest – and littlest – students feel welcome during a time when it might prove to be quite overwhelming, and part of their orientation program was to provide a personal approach.

The bus driver rose from her chair with surprising agility and hopped down from the bus, glancing at a small photo she held in her hand to verify the identity of her newest passenger. "You must be Isabella," she said, holding out her hand with a smile. "I'm very pleased to meet you." The sight of this rather large woman looming towering over her suddenly spooked the previously-confident little girl slightly as she shrank back from her, seeking the protection of her father's lean legs as she leaned back into them for reassurance.

"It's okay, Honey," the woman said, still smiling in an attempt to reassure the beautiful girl with the long, shiny blond hair and cornflower-blue eyes. "My name's Theresa. I'm here to take you to school." She gazed up at the handsome man holding onto the little girl's hand. "You must be her father?"

Brian nodded affirmatively. "Brian Kinney," he informed her.

"Well, Mr. Kinney, I promise to take very good care of this precious cargo for you and make sure she gets back home safely." Brian bit his lip nervously; this woman _seemed_ friendly and actually appeared to like his daughter – both hopeful signs. One part of him, though, desperately wanted to hold onto his daughter's hand and never let it go, while the other, more rational side of him remembered Justin's words earlier about not being able to protect their child all the time. He took a deep breath, knowing the first day would surely be the worst; the only question was, though, for whom?

He knelt down so he could look his daughter in the eye and said, "Issy – You're a big girl now and it's time to go to school. There's your bus, Princess. You ready to go? I'm sure Theresa here will take very good care of you and they'll have all kinds of neat things for you to do when you get there."

Issy's lower lip trembled as she replied, "Will it really be okay, Daddy? Promise?" The big, blue eyes were wide as they stared intently into her father's face.

Brian swallowed the lump in his throat before saying firmly, "I promise, Honey. You'll have a great time, you'll see." He smiled at her confidently, masking the wave of insecurity his own heart felt at the moment.

Theresa stood nearby, not wanting to rush them unnecessarily but knowing she had to keep a fairly rigid schedule. She had been driving buses for over 30 years now, though – fresh out of high school – so she was all too familiar with the first-day pangs of both child AND parent. And from the looks of anxiety on this man's face, he had it bad. "She'll be just fine, Mr. Kinney. But we really do need to get going so we're not late."

"Is my big girl ready to go, then?" Brian asked his daughter, not willing to let her leave until she assured him she would be okay.

Issy bit her lip for a few seconds in thought, so much like her father, before she finally nodded shyly. "Yeah, Daddy, I want to go," she decided.

Brian took a deep breath and rose to his feet. _This is it, then_, he thought. _Whether I'm ready or not_. He slowly let the familiar, soft hand of his daughter go and stepped back a couple of steps as he watched the bus driver reach for Issy's hand and gently walk her toward the bus.

Just as Issy turned to say goodbye to her father for the last time that morning, Brian thought of one more thing. "Wait, Honey!" he implored, as he reached in hurriedly for a compact, red digital camera he was carrying in his suit pocket. He quickly pressed the button to turn it on as he told his daughter, "Smile, Issy!"

The little girl gave her father a smile so reminiscent of Justin's, making Brian's heart flip flop, as he quickly pressed the shutter button to take her photo - it would no doubt be the latest wallpaper for his laptop at Kinnetik - and nodded at her that it was okay for her to finally leave. "Bye, Daddy!" she called out excitedly as she blew her father an air kiss. Brian began to raise his hand to his lips to reciprocate, before, feeling a little silly, he settled for waving back at her instead and smiling as Theresa nodded and turned to help the little girl step up into the bus.

Brian stood there, watching intently as he followed his daughter taking her first walk "down the aisle" as the bus driver helped her find a seat next to a window facing her father. As the driver returned to her seat, she nodded once more at Brian as she closed the doors with her priceless passenger and Issy turned her face toward the window.

The last sight Brian saw as the bus pulled away was his daughter's chubby little hand, waving goodbye. He sighed as he looked down at the smiling photo of her daughter he had just taken, knowing his little girl wasn't the only one about to embark on an unfamilliar journey. He somehow knew that _his_ journey with the little girl who had firmly stolen his and Justin's heart was just beginning...


	3. School Play

___Third Grade: Eight years old_

_3:10 p.m. – front gate of Britin; early spring_

Justin stood near the front gate as he always did this time of day, waiting for his daughter to return from school; his walk today in the sunny and unseasonably warm weather had been a welcome diversion from the painting he was attempting to work on upstairs in his attic studio. To his frustration, for some reason he was suffering from a creative block, so he actually welcomed the opportunity to escape for a while and wait for his daughter to come home. Of course, the fact that his husband happened to be away on a week-long business trip wouldn't have had anything to do with his frustration….

Just like clockwork, he glanced up to see his daughter's bus slowly approaching their driveway, right on schedule. He saw his daughter excitedly waving to him from her window seat as he smiled back at her and returned her wave. She seemed even more bubbly then normal for some reason, he thought, as he watched her hurriedly walk up the aisle and wait for the double doors to open.

Theresa waved to Justin from the driver's seat; she had been Issy's bus driver for three years now, to Justin's relief; somehow knowing the same woman was driving his precious daughter to school reassured him. He had met her the first day Issy had returned from kindergarten, all atwitter about her first day, and he had taken an immediate liking to the driver who always had a big smile on her face and gregariously greeted him each afternoon. Unlike some drivers who always appeared to be wearing an exasperated, pained expression on their face, Theresa seemed to actually enjoy being around the students.

"Hi, Mr. Taylor," the woman called out to him with a smile as she opened the doors. She laughed as Issy practically leaped out of the bus. "She's more excited than normal today for some reason," she warned him.

Justin smiled back at her. "Yeah, I think I can _see_ that." He waved back at her as she told Issy goodbye, even though the little girl was more intent on racing over to her father at the moment than paying her much attention. Theresa nodded congenially anyway once more before closing the doors and slowly heading back up the street.

"Poppa! You'll never guess what happened!" Issy shouted excitedly as she came running furiously toward her father. "You'll never believe it!" Her blue eyes were sparkling with joy as she ran up to him, her long blonde hair flying out behind her as she ran. Justin always got a kick out of how his daughter could go to school each morning with her hair meticulously tied up in some elaborately-decorated hair band or scrunchie only to wind up with her hair running amok by the afternoon. She almost slammed into Justin as he held his arms out to her for their daily embrace; he knew one day soon his daughter might outgrow these open displays of affection, but for now he looked forward to them and so did she.

He squeezed her tightly against his chest briefly before releasing her and gazing down into her eyes that were a mirror of his own. "What happened, Honey?"

"I got a part in our play!" she shrieked in delight, jumping up and down. "I'm going to get to play Annie!"

Justin beamed. "You _did_? That's fantastic, Sweetheart! I'm so proud of you, and I know your daddy will be, too!" He had heard Issy talking all week about the school putting on a rendition of _Little Orphan Annie_ in a couple of months on the auditorium's stage, and she had been talking nonstop ever since then about wanting to be in the play. She was an _Annie_ fanatic; she had the CD of the soundtrack and could sing along to every tune perfectly. She was such a fan of the musical, Justin had found an older lady in Pittsburgh who sewed custom outfits for clients and he had commissioned her to make Issy an Annie costume this past Christmas; she had fallen in love with it so much, she constantly would parade around Britin, wearing the complete outfit with black patent leather shoes and a blond wig as she sang her heart out along with the music on her MP3 player. Unfortunately, as much as Justin hated to admit it, their daughter didn't exactly have the voice of an angel when she sang. Of course, to him and Brian Issy was beautiful, anyway; and fortunately in third grade, apparently being tone deaf wasn't a total disqualifier to act on stage, or his daughter likely wouldn't have been picked for the part.

He smiled at her jubilation, hugging her again to his side as they began to walk back to the house. "I think that's wonderful, Issy," he told his daughter as she placed her arm around her father's waist and smiled up at him. "Well, you won't have to learn any of the songs, then, will you? You already know them all by heart."

She beamed. "I know, Poppa, but you'll have to learn them, too," she told him solemnly.

Justin stopped their forward motion to peer into his daughter's eyes in puzzlement. "What do you mean, Honey? Why would _I_ have to learn them?"

"Because Mrs. Meyers wants you to direct the _play_," she told him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"What?" Justin said; surely he hadn't heard her right. "She wants _me_ to direct the play?"

Izzy nodded her head vigorously. "Yeah, Poppa, she's all excited about it."

Justin frowned. "But, Honey, how does she even know who I _am_? I've never even met your art teacher." He recognized her name from the paintings and paper Mache projects Issy brought home a regular basis that he regularly posted proudly on their refrigerator, but he had never met or even talked to the woman who also doubled as the public relations representative for the school. "Are you sure, Honey? Poppa doesn't even know her."

"But I told her all about YOU, Poppa," Issy told him. "I told her what a great artist you were, and she knew who _you_ were."

Justin stared at his daughter in disbelief. He supposed it was possible that this Mrs. Meyers _was_ aware of his work – his art had been featured in both the local papers as well as several art magazines rather extensively over the past couple of years – but how could she go from recognizing his art to wanting him to direct a children's play? How could she possibly think he knew anything about that sort of thing?

"Honey…..," he struggled to explain without disappointing her. "I'm thrilled that you're going to be the star, and you know your Daddy and I will be there to see it, but I don't know _anything_ about putting on a play. I think Mrs. Meyers needs to find someone with more experience."

_Oh, boy. No, not that, Issy…not…the "look."_ Justin looked at his little girl's lips turning downward into a pout and her face clouding over. It was times like this that Justin wished that Issy would have taken after Brian's more come-what-may attitude rather than his own more sentimental, emotional personality. "But, Poppa," she countered. "I _told_ Mrs. Meyers you would do it! She was so excited, Poppa! You _have_ to do it – please? You know all about being on stage!"

Justin chuckled; if she only knew what his last – and only – performances had entailed, and _where_ they had been. Somehow he didn't think go-go- boy or being the King of Babylon qualified for directing a children's play. "I've never worked on that kind of stage, Honey – Poppa's only used to a stage where they're showing his artwork." He reached down to cup his daughter's distressed face to reason with her. "I've never directed a play. Surely Mrs. Meyers can find someone else who's done this before. Wouldn't that be better?"

"No, Poppa," she insisted, her eyes beginning to fill with tears of disappointment. "You _have_ to do it! I told her you would."

Justin sighed, wondering how in the world he was going to get out of this predicament. He finally smiled slightly at his daughter and said, "Well, I'll tell you what. I'll give Mrs. Meyers a call tomorrow and talk to her about it. We'll see, okay?" He knew that once he had spoken to her that surely the woman would tell him that his daughter had made a mistake and she already had someone more qualified in mind. That should settle the matter once and for all and place it out of his control….

To his relief, his daughter seemed okay with that suggestion for now. "Okay, Poppa," she told him. "But you'll see," she added confidently as they resumed their walk, hand in hand, back up to the house.

_

* * *

_

One Week Later – Humphrey Elementary School Auditorium

Brian stood over to the side of the stage in shock, secretly watching his harried husband, who was trying futilely to get everyone's attention but hopelessly failing. He had rushed home tonight from his business trip to Hartford, Connecticut, running up the stairs to the master bedroom and expecting his husband to be lying in their bed, horny, naked and ready for some good old-fashioned fucking (since it was Issy's normal Girl Scout night and she would be gone); instead, he had come home to a deathly quiet house and a note on the nightstand, informing him that the blond was at Issy's school of all places helping with her school play. He knew from a previous conversation with Justin that their daughter had been selected for the starring role in the school play – a fact for which he was a very proud father. So it wasn't altogether odd that she and Justin would be at her school.

The only conclusion he could draw from the note was that Justin was helping somehow with the scenery for the play; now, however, as he watched from the left of the cavernous stage, he couldn't believe his eyes. Justin apparently wasn't helping with the scenery at all; he was fucking _directing the play_…

At least, he was _apparently_ trying to, anyway; unfortunately, though, either the rug rats on the stage were deaf or they just didn't give their rat's ass about obeying orders, because their daughter seemed to be the only who wasn't either speaking at the top of her lungs or running around the stage and bumping into everybody and knocking them down in bouts of horseplay. He watched as Justin repeatedly tried to speak over the din of the children to no avail; Brian watched as he brushed some hair through his hand and looked upward at the hot lights overhead. He knew that look – someone was getting extremely exasperated. And if this kept up, he _also_ knew someone would be too worn out and too annoyed to even consider what he had in mind for the two of them later….

A piercing whistle broke through the cacophony as the children immediately hushed at the unexpectedly loud noise. All heads turned toward Brian, who glared at the miscreants. "He said _be quiet!_" he yelled at them, his eyes flashing. "Now shut up and _listen_‼" he commanded them in his most no-nonsense voice.

"Daddy!" Issy came running excitedly over in her Annie outfit, complete with red dress with white cuffs, black shoes, and blond, curly wig; her shiny, strapped shoes clacked loudly on the wooden floor as she ran over to Brian, who swept her up into her arms. "You're home!" She cried out, giving him a kiss on the cheek before Brian slowly lowered her to the ground and smiled at her tenderly.

"What are you and Poppa up to, Sweetheart?" he murmured, looking over at his husband in amusement. Justin seemed so out of his element; if he hadn't looked so exhausted at the moment, his predicament would have been priceless.

Justin sighed in relief as his eyes locked onto Brian's. Brian nodded at him in acknowledgement and gave him a small smile before turning his palm upward in a _what in the world do you think you're doing _expression. Justin shook his head and shrugged in response before mouthing him a "Later" and turning back to the now-quiet group on stage. "Girls," he commanded a group of four girls dressed as the other orphans in their long flannel dresses. "I need you over by the bed for the _Hard Knock _song, okay?"

As they miraculously complied to his enormous relief, Justin turned to call over to their _star_. "Issy, I need you over with them," he told his daughter as once more, his eyes latched onto Brian's. They seemed to be pleading for assistance, but if Justin thought _he_ was out of his element, then Brian certainly was even more. He wasn't _about_ to get involved with a rowdy bunch of third-graders; the one he and Justin had at home was more than a handful.

"I'll talk to you later, Daddy," she whispered to Brian before rushing back over to the orphan bedroom scene to jump on top of the metal bed. Brian stood there in amusement, his hands folded over his chest as Justin clapped once more for attention and the piano player began to play the song.

He winced as Issy began to sing the lead part in the song; he loved his little girl dearly and he had to admit, in her outfit she was cute as a button, but she definitely was no contemporary competitor to Shirley Temple when it came to her singing voice. She obviously knew the lyrics to the songs but not how to carry a tune with the correct pitch. He silently decided their daughter better get the acting bug out of her system early before simply being cute didn't guarantee her a lead in the next play. Of course, being cute had gotten her father pretty much anything _he _wanted when it came to him, but that was another matter.

Thinking of Justin, he turned his attention to his husband, who he noticed had the same sort of pained look on his face but was trying to hide it for their daughter's sake. As Justin concentrated on the song being performed, Brian fixed his glare on a small group of boys playing what appeared to be street urchins; they were dressed in beige corduroy caps, off-white shirts, and matching beige shorts with suspenders. Sitting in a group off to the side on the wooden floor, one boy was using his hand to smack the back of another. As they noticed Brian staring at them with the kiss of death, however, and the brunet firmly placed his index finger across his lips in a "You'd better shut the fuck up or I'll do it for you" sort of look, they quickly straightened their posture and placed their hands in their laps as if they were choirboys from the local church until the musical number was over.

_

* * *

_

Thirty Minutes Later

Justin let out a large yawn of exhaustion as the students finished up rehearsing the finale song, "Tomorrow." There were a total of 20 students involved in the production, along with four older students playing the adult roles. Fortunately, the older students at least had some maturity; their more serious nature had finally rubbed off, at least somewhat, on the younger students as the entire cast now sung the end song in unison; Issy's voice, just like Barney Fife singing in the church choir, carried over the rest of the others as she sang from the bottom of her heart and from what sounded like the bottom of a well.

"Okay," Justin shouted, clapping his hands for attention as they finished the song and took their practice bows. He had a feeling he would need to run out to the drug store tomorrow to buy a giant bottle of hand lotion as well as Advil; his hands were becoming chapped and raw from the several attempts at getting their attention and his head was beginning to throb like crazy. "I think that's enough for tonight. I'll see you all back here tomorrow at the same time." He only hoped the next 24 hours went by _extremely_ slowly…..

As the students rushed off the stage, Justin sighed in relief; he had been working on the play now for the past three days and he already felt like he had been hit with a Mac Truck. How in the world he had let that woman talk him into doing this was beyond him. When he had called her, she was effusive in her appreciation, telling him it would be so easy to do. She had gushed out compliment after compliment about his artwork and told him she had no doubt he could handle a "simple little children's play that would practically direct himself." Now after three days, he was beginning to think he had been royally screwed by one sharp lady who was no doubt gleefully patting herself on the back for finding a ready-made stool pigeon to take care of directing this play for her. _Fool me once, shame on you…..fool me twice, shame on me_, he couldn't help thinking. This would without a doubt be his first and LAST stint as a director, even if it _was_ for his daughter.

Issy, on the other hand, seem to be energized by her starring role; she bounded off the stage, ahead of her father, and jumped down from the last two steps in boisterous happiness, singing once more at the top of lungs. "The sun'll come out, tomorrow! Betch your bottom dollar that tomorrow…."

Brian smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm, even if she _couldn't_ quite carry a tune in a bucket. "Uh, Honey, why don't you meet your friend Jill by the back doors?" he practically had to shout at her as she continued to sing. "We'll be right there, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she agreed, spying her best friend farther down the aisle and racing to catch up with her; Brian could hear his daughter's typical giggling and excited voice as she finally stopped her solo and began to converse with her friend by the double exit doors.

Once Brian had made sure Issy was okay, he turned at last to see his husband slowly trudging over to the stage steps as he let out a weary breath. He twisted his mouth fondly at the tired look on the pale face and said, "Well, I'm not sure if the _Sun_'_s_ going to come out tomorrow or not." He lowered his voice as Justin got closer to say, "What the fuck were you thinking, Spielberg?"

The blond walked over straight into the open arms of his husband and burrowed his face into the chest and sighed in contentment, wrapping his arms around Brian tightly as if he were not only reacquainting himself with the smell and touch of the other man, but perhaps trying to stay physically upright at the moment. Until tonight, he had never realized how much hard work it could be merely trying to instruct a room full of 8- and 9-year olds in the intricacies of performing a school play. He now had a whole new appreciation for those PTA mothers and bake sale promoters. He figured the only thing that could be worse – or more tiring – than this experience would possibly be playing host to a houseful of squealing, giggling little girls at an overnight slumber party.

He sighed heavily before slowly pulling back just enough to gaze into Brian's amused eyes. "The art teacher here caught me in a weak moment," he explained. "She was praising me one moment for my artwork, and the next thing I knew, here I was. Oh, and Issy pouted quite a bit beforehand too, just to add a nice touch to it." He glanced over at their daughter, who was still animatedly chatting with one of her other friends that was in the play. "You realize she couldn't really sing if her life depended on it, don't you?"

Brian smiled tenderly at their little, well…not-so-little girl now (to him, she would _always_ be his little girl, though). "Yeah, I kind of noticed that," he admitted, grinning. "But she's so damned cute, she can get away with it anyway." He fixed his gaze back on Justin before adding, "Kind of like _someone else_ I know and love."

"Love, Mr. Kinney? Did you just say the dreaded four-letter word?" Justin curled his lips under playfully, his tiredness momentarily forgotten as he smiled at the other man. "I must not be the _only_ one who's tired."

Brian snorted. "Don't let it go to your head, Sunshine," he softly chided. "Speaking of which, as soon as a certain little girl goes to bed, I think it'll be time for you to go to bed, too. We have a lot of catching up to do – I'm not _that_ tired. I'm NEVER too tired for _that_." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively as Justin grinned.

"Well, I think I can go along with that. Actually, I can't think of a better way to relax some parts of my body that are very, very _stiff_ at the moment."

Brian grinned. "Yeah, it's funny – I'm kind of getting _stiff_ in certain places, too." He looked around quickly, noticing they were momentarily secluded in the shadowy part of the stage before he reached behind Justin's neck and leaned down to at last bestow a deep kiss on the lips he had been wanting to taste ever since he had first spied Justin from the side of the stage. "And if we don't get home soon, my stiffness is going to get pretty damn noticeable," he whispered huskily as they finally broke apart and Justin blushed.

"Well, we're out of here," Justin said suddenly; their need to leave suddenly had taken on a lot more urgency. The look Brian was giving him, and that sexy tone of voice always made him crazy and horny as hell. He grasped Brian's arm to pull him along as the brunet laughed softly.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Sunshine," he responded as the two men stepped down from the stage and began to walk up the aisle toward their daughter, who was still speaking animatedly with her friend.

Issy's friend gave her a quick hug goodbye and called out to Justin before her mom came over to escort her out. As the double doors closed behind them, the small family was finally left alone in the unaccustomed quiet of the auditorium.

"Ready to go, Honey?" Brian asked their daughter, who smiled and nodded as she finally pulled off her wig to reveal her long, golden hair, now a mass of tangles.

"Yeah, Daddy," she replied. "But I have something to tell you and Poppa about my birthday."

"Your birthday, Issy?" Justin asked her; the two had queried their daughter recently about what she wanted to do for her 9th birthday, which was coming up next month. "You've decided what you want to do, Honey?"

As Brian opened the doors for them, anxious to get _both _blonds home, she turned to both men and smiled radiantly, the same Sunshine smile that Brian had first fallen in love with so long ago; now he had _two_ people with the same smile that he loved dearly and could never say no to. As Justin heard what their daughter had chosen, however, he dearly wished that this could have been the one exception to Brian's rule.

"Yeah, Poppa," she told Justin. "I want to have a slumber party."

As Justin groaned, Brian simply laughed, thinking surely he would have an important, out-of-town business meeting to attend that night…..


	4. So You're Into Feather?

_A/N: This is the **latest **chapter (don't hate me - LOL!); couldn't resist - hope you can follow along...sorry!_

_

* * *

_

_One Week Before Issy's 9__th__ Birthday _

"Brian?" The voice sounded soft but urgent somewhere within Brian's sleep-deprived, somewhat muddled brain. He managed to mumble out something along the lines of "not now" through the cotton-like feeling in his mouth before he flinched from a sharp jab to his stomach. "Ow!" he muttered as he turned over to flop on his back and glare up at the intense blue eyes of his husband. "What the fuck, Justin? What was _that_ for?"

Justin smirked. "It seemed to be the only way to get your attention. I need to talk to you."

"The only way to get my attention? If you think _that's_ it, I'm definitely losing my touch." He suddenly felt a cold hand surround his cock and squeeze, making him literally buck off the bed. "Fuck – your hand's cold! Where has it _been_?"

Justin couldn't help smiling in satisfaction at Brian's reaction; it served him right, because he was perturbed at the moment. "_IT _has been down in the freezer checking for the ice cream cake someone was supposed to pick up last night on the way home from work." He reached once more to grab Brian's cock to emphasize his point before his hand was trapped by one of Brian's and the brunet brought it up toward his mouth.

"I think if you're going to play with a precious part of my anatomy, Little Boy, we'd better get this warmed up first," he murmured as he stared into Justin's sapphire eyes and slowly brought the pale, slender fingers up to his mouth. Justin gazed at the beautiful, tousled-haired man in front of him and, despite his initial annoyance over Brian not following through with his promise to pick up Issy's birthday cake, his breath hitched in anticipation as he watched Brian open up his mouth and his fingers disappear inside the wet, hot interior. He couldn't help the soft sigh that escaped his lips at the sensation as he felt Brian's tongue give his fingers a thorough bath of saliva. The sensation of his cold skin merging with Brian's warm mouth made his body tingle at the contact.

As he squirmed in pleasure at the masterful touch of his partner, he somehow managed to whisper, "I'm still pissed at you for forgetting, Brian." Brian had promised he would stop by the local grocery and pick up the custom-made, pink Princess cake for their daughter's birthday before he came home last night. Now, he would have to do it himself and somehow squeeze that in between picking up their daughter's birthday present, plus running out to purchase all the supplies they would need for the upcoming slumber party _and_ whipping up the treats for her and her friends to munch on while they played video games and put makeup on each other and….just the thought of it all made his head spin. Or perhaps, he realized, the dizzy feeling might be due to the sensuous touch of the man who was currently rubbing the palm of his hand with his thumb and staring at him with those smoky, hazel eyes that knew exactly what they were doing – making him crazy with desire and horny as hell.

"I can still pick it up on the way home from work tonight," the brunet murmured huskily as he finally finished his tongue washing and slowly removed Justin's thoroughly-drenched fingers from his mouth. Justin curled his hand around Brian's as the brunet stared intensely into Justin's wide, baby-blue eyes and suggested, "Or I can go do it now." But he knew from the slightly glazed look of lust that he was getting that Justin wouldn't be opting for that alternative. "I think it would be a real shame to waste a morning after Issy spent the night at a friend's house, though, don't you?" He gazed up at his husband's flushed face and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Justin smiled; he knew he was being played, but if it resulted in some good old-fashioned fucking with a little bit of lovemaking mixed in and it involved this incredibly sexy man, he supposed he could make the sacrifice. "I think I can squeeze in a little time later today to take care of it," he decided, slowly raking his gaze down the magnificent, unclothed body and coming to rest on Brian's hardening cock. He quickly pulled his long-sleeved, gray tee-shirt up over his head as Brian reached over to begin unbuttoning his jeans.

He gazed up at Justin tenderly before saying, "Well, in the meantime, why don't you just _squeeze_ something else again?"

Justin laughed as the brunet playfully pulled him down to lie on top of him, just before their lips molded together into a searing kiss.

_

* * *

_

Three Hours Later – Wheeling, West Virginia

Justin sat down wearily on a bench just outside the party goods store with three large, white plastic bags full of pink, lime green, and sky blue birthday supplies. He smiled to himself as he realized he and Brian would never have to worry about Issy becoming a tom boy as long as she maintained her current obsession with everything girly. Her laced canapy bed and dresser at home was decorated in the same colors, and she had begged him and Brian to hold to the same theme for her 9th birthday party.

He had gotten an inspiration for her theme inside when he had spied some plates in her favorite colors with a butterfly theme – he decided to fashion her party after the beautiful insect that reminded him of their daughter in a way – independent at times when she was absorbed in a favorite book or listening to one of her treasured CDs, but also still needing the guidance and love of her fathers and the reassurance that they would always be there for her. Thankfully, Issy still didn't mind them bestowing an occasional kiss on her cheek or giving them a hug when she greeted them, even in the presence of her friends. Justin hoped that she would always feel that way, but just in case, he was going to treasure each moment in the meantime.

He shifted his packages on his lap, taking care to hold firmly onto the large bouquet of butterfly-shaped latex balloons he held tightly in his left hand. Wondering how in the world he was going to fit them inside the SUV, he sighed as he rather stiffly rose to his feet and shuffled toward the parking lot and his vehicle.

A few minutes later, he exited the nearby grocery store with the ice cream cake firmly in his grasp; he placed the cake down on the ground long enough to open the back of the SUV and push the dessert into a freezer bag to keep it frozen until he could return to Britin. Making sure all of the party preparations were firmly placed in the trunk, he walked around to enter the vehicle and prepare to go pick up his and Brian's daughter at her friend's house nearby.

* * *

"Poppa!" Issy must have been anxiously waiting for him to come, because as soon as he had stopped the vehicle and gotten out, she had opened the front door and flew outside with her Princess backpack in tow. Justin smiled warmly as his daughter ran up to him and he threw his arms around her to give her a tight hug before letting her go to gaze into her excited blue eyes.

"How was your sleepover?" he asked.

"It was great!" she reported as she gave her father a quick kiss. "Jill said she'd bring over some of her CDs so we could use them at my party!"

Justin smiled as he brushed back some of her untamed hair; he and Brian had tried to convince her to have it cut because her hair was now cascading down her back and almost to her waist, but she had vehemently protested, saying she was growing it out to give to sick children who needed it. Neither man could argue with that intention, actually touched that their daughter would worry about such an issue; they decided she could do, instead, with a small trim. That still didn't mean, however, that her hair didn't always have a tendency to fall into her eyes as he tenderly placed some soft, golden strands behind one of her ears and gazed at her fondly.

"That sounds good, Honey," he told her, smiling. He looked over at the sound of the front door opening and nodded at Jill and her mother, Karen Andrews, coming out to stand on the porch nearby. "Hi, Justin," the petite, blonde-haired woman said as she placed a hand around her daughter's shoulder and waved.

"Hey, Karen," he acknowledged her. "Hi, Jill. I hope Issy wasn't any trouble. Thanks for letting her spend the night." If the woman only had an idea just how much he and Brian had _enjoyed_ her hospitality in addition to Issy, he thought, blushing slightly at the thought. He and Brian had spent a good hour earlier today becoming completely re-familiarized with every inch of each other's bodies; they loved their daughter immensely, but part of being a parent involved not having as much time as they would like being alone. They had tried _hard_ to make up for that deficit this morning.

"No trouble at all," Karen assured him. "Anytime. Besides, something tells me you'll have your hands full shortly. You're braver than I am, Justin," she said, laughing at the thought of two men being in the midst of 20 giggling, squealing, nine-year-old girls intent on not getting an ounce of sleep.

"Don't remind me," Justin quipped, thinking he must have been out of his mind when he and Brian had agreed to let their daughter have a slumber party. Before Brian could even think of an excuse not to be there, Justin had told him in no uncertain terms that he'd better not wriggle out of helping him or he would be sleeping in the guest bedroom for the next month. He had a feeling that Brian knew he would never make good on his promise – he craved their lovemaking just as much as he did – but fortunately for him, his husband had graciously played along and agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly, to help supervise.

Jill laughed in sympathy. "Well, good luck – you're going to need it." She and her daughter gave Justin and Issy one more wave before father and daughter got into the SUV.

"Are we going to the pet store now, Poppa?" Issy asked excitedly, her blue eyes sparkling in anticipation as she dutifully buckled her seatbelt and Justin did the same.

He nodded at her and smiled; he had had to exert a great deal of pressure on Brian to allow Issy to have a pet for her birthday – he had fought it tooth and nail at first, saying they already had a horse for her; why would she need anything else? But Justin had explained that Issy longed for the companionship of a pet. Britin was rather isolated from other nearby homes, preventing her from spending a lot of time after school with her friends. Also, he and Brian had put their foot down when it came to Issy's request for a cell phone, telling her she was still too young to need one. So as a result, except for Girl Scouts and her recent stint in the school play, she did not have much of a chance to hang out with her friends except at school. She had maintained that having a pet would give her the company she needed, and also provide her with a chance to show she could be responsible for another living being.

After pouring on the "woe is me" routine – complete with baby-blue, teary eyes and pouting lips, she had finally worn Brian down eventually to where he had grudgingly given her (and Justin) permission to stop at the pet store and pick out a "low maintenance" pet. He had warned Justin that that particular definition automatically excluded a dog or a cat – he told him he didn't want anything that could roam, poop, and pounce at will onto unsuspecting inhabitants of the house, namely him.

That apparently, then, left them with the option of a fish, rabbit, guinea pig, or a turtle. It was only after they had gotten into the vehicle, though, that Justin discovered Issy had something else in mind.

"An _iguana?" _Justin stared at her aghast. "You want an iguana? Why an iguana?" He knew that was some sort of reptile or lizard, but apart from that, he really didn't know much about them.

"They're really neat, Poppa," Issy explained, her eyes sparkling in excitement. "They've got big scaly feet and get real big. They like to climb on refrigerators."

"Refrigerators?" She nodded her head as Justin glanced over at her from time to time as he drove toward the pet store.

"Yeah….Sara has one at home and said Louie likes to sit on top of the fridge until she feeds him lettuce."

"Louie?" He asked in amusement. Her iguana's name was _Louie_?

She nodded once more. "That's his name," she explained. "He was just a baby when she got him a year ago," she said in a remarkably adult-like voice. "But he ate a lot of lettuce and crickets and got real big. She had to get him a bigger cage and everything."

"Wait – back up," Justin stopped her. "Did you say crickets?"

His fears were realized as she confirmed that was what she said. "Yeah – you can buy big bags of them at the pet store – we can pick them up when we buy my iguana."

Thoughts of Brian freaking out when he opened the refrigerator to get a bottled water at Britin and spying a large, reptilian, scaly miniaturized Gila monster staring beady-eyed down at him from the refrigerator while dozens of crickets chirped nearby in a plaintive cry to be set free made him realize that he was about to break his daughter's heart. Why did it always seem to be _his_ job when it came to that?

"Uh….Honey….I hate to tell you this, but I think you'll have to pick out some other kind of pet."

He knew his daughter well enough to feel her face clouding over before he had a chance to glance over at her to verify he was right. "I'm sorry, Issy – I know you have your heart set on getting one, but it wouldn't work, Sweetheart."

"Why, Daddy?" Her voice was decidedly young now as she gazed over at him in great disappointment. "I said I would take care of him."

Justin sighed as he returned his eyes to the road. "I'm sure you would, Issy, but you remember what your Daddy said. He only agreed to allow you to have a pet if it could be kept in a cage. It sounds like iguanas prefer to move around a lot." _On the refrigerator, the kitchen table, on Brian's expensive leather couch…..I wonder if they like to take showers, too?_

"He wouldn't be happy if he had to stay in a cage, and I have a feeling your Daddy never had a pet growing up. He just isn't comfortable with letting an animal roam free in the house." He hated to throw Brian under the bus with their daughter, but it was simply the truth. If it was up to him, he would have let her have a fucking zoo in the house; he loved animals but he loved Brian more…..

"But, Poppa…."

"No, Izzy," Justin told her firmly, turning to fix a steady gaze on her to emphasize he would not be changing his mind. "I'm sure the pet store will have plenty of other animals you can choose from. We'll find something else you'll like, you'll see," he promised her tenderly as he reached to grasp her hand and squeeze it. Issy's face was still wrinkled in disappointment but he knew as soon as they got to the pet store, she would forget her initial idea and quickly latch onto a cuddly bunny or a furry guinea pig – some type of pet that she could hold in her hand and keep safely caged, away from Brian's designer furniture and Gucci clothes.

_

* * *

_

_90 Minutes Later_

"I can't wait for Daddy to see him!" Issy cried as Justin walked into Britin with her new pet; he only wished he was as sure of that declaration as his daughter was. He had successfully talked her out of getting an iguana, but her final decision was one he hadn't anticipated. He only hoped that Brian would be receptive to her choice; it WAS in a cage, he rationalized to himself, which was Brian's main requirement.

"I'll take him up to your room, Honey," Justin told his daughter as he slowly carried the burdensome container up the steps. His daughter was toting a large plastic bag behind him full of pet food and toys to place in the cage under Justin's close supervision. He had told her adamantly NOT to open the cage when he wasn't around or place her fingers inside in case the animal tried to bite her. She had promised to obey his instructions until he had time to put the slumber party decorations away and place her cake in the freezer.

"Remember – don't put your fingers inside the cage or open up the door unless I'm there to watch," he reminded her. "I'll be back up in a few minutes as soon as I get dinner started. In the meantime, you think about what you want to name him, okay?"

She nodded excitedly, smiling as her eyes lit up with thoughts about what to name her new pet filtered through her head. "Okay, Poppa," she said, rushing to scurry around her father and rush up the steps toward her room. "I can't wait to show him to Daddy!"

As he placed the cage down on Issy's white dresser accented in shades of pink and lime green a few minutes later, he sighed. "Yeah…..I can't wait, either."

_

* * *

_

Mid-Afternoon – Britin

"Honey, I'm home!" Brian sing-songed facetiously as he walked through the door leading from the garage into the connecting kitchen. He placed his briefcase down on the nearby counter table and sniffed the air appreciatively. "Something smells good, Mary Homemaker, what's for dinner?"

Justin smiled from his place at the stove as he stirred a pot of jambalaya; ever since he had made it that one day so long ago, it had become a favorite staple of theirs. As he turned to accept Brian's brief but heated kiss, he thought that he might just need all the leverage he could get when he told his husband just what sort of pet their daughter had settled on at the store earlier today. "Taste," he said, holding out the wooden spoon with his free hand underneath to catch any errant spills.

Brian snaked his tongue out and took a quick slurp. "Mmmm," he murmured, licking his lips. "Tangy and sweet but just a little salty – just like something _else _I like." His eyes twinkled as he reached down to wipe a small smear of sauce from Justin's lips and bring it up to his own mouth to taste. He couldn't help leaning down to steal one more additional kiss from his partner as he placed his hands on either side of the stovetop to imprison his little chef. As he broke off their lip lock, he whispered, "Where's Issy?" Normally when he came home he was always greeted by a bundle of energy as their daughter came rushing down to greet him with a hug and a kiss, but it was noticeably quiet at the moment, except for the sounds of his and Justin's soft breathing and the bubbling of the sauce on the stove behind them.

He frowned as he noticed Justin hesitating to answer him. "Justin? Issy's all right, isn't she? Where is she? Did she stay at Jill's?"

"No, she's upstairs," he reassured Brian. He didn't get the opportunity to explain why she hadn't come rushing in to greet her father like she normally did, though, because at that moment he was interrupted by a high-pitched sound emanating from the upstairs.

"What was _that_?" Brian asked, frowning at the odd noise.

"What?" Justin said innocently.

"That noise; something _squawked_."

Justin let out a nervous laugh. "Squawked?'

Brian's eyes narrowed as he took in Justin's guilty look. "Yeah, _squawked_." He leaned in to stare into Justin's wide-eyed, blue orbs. "Justin? What have you done, Sunshine?" As if in response, an even louder squawk reverberated down from the bedroom area upstairs. "Justin…"

The blond stared nervously into the hazel eyes boring into him. "You told her she could get a pet as long as it was kept in a cage," he began as Brian broke his hold to turn and begin walking out of the kitchen toward the staircase. Justin quickly turned the knob on the stove to the "off" position before hurrying to catch up with his long-legged husband, following closely behind him up the steps and toward Issy's bedroom.

A few seconds later, Justin almost ran into Brian's back as the brunet came to their daughter's room and stopped dead in his tracks to stare at Issy's pet – a majestic green Amazon parrot with sky blue and yellow markings on its face. The parrot, about 15 inches long, was happily bouncing up and down on its wooden perch inside a large, rectangular-sized cage resting on top of Issy's dresser. There were toys of every description scattered throughout the cage and a large, oval-shaped bath tub on the bottom that looked suspiciously like a seven-jet Jacuzzi. The bird seemed to be fascinated with the mirror placed on top of the chest as he stared with large, beady eyes at his reflection. If there was such a thing, Brian would have said the intruder was muttering something under his breath as he scooted back and forth on his perch and bobbed his head to a silent tune.

"Daddy!" Issy cried out in joy as she turned away from watching the bird and launched herself at her father. "Look what I got today!" she exclaimed excitedly as she gave her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning to stare back at Britin's latest resident. She pulled her father's hand toward the cage as Issy continued to ramble on exuberantly. "I'm going to teach him to talk and everything! Isn't he the prettiest thing you've ever seen, Daddy?" The bird shuffled over toward the sound of her voice as she neared the cage and stared inside at him, fortunately keeping a respectful distance from his rather imposing, curved beak. As he reluctantly neared the cage, Brian did his best to stare down the bug-eyed bird but it was to no avail; the feathered animal seemed to have no shred of either nervousness or intimidation as he stared back unblinking at his interloper.

"Yeah…He's something all right, Princess," Brian said evenly, trying hard not to let any expression show on his face as he turned to face Justin, his eyes raised in question. "This is your new pet?" _Please…..let him be a loaner or something….a lost pet found and soon to be returned to its grieving owner…._

But to his mortification, his daughter nodded her head in confirmation, just like the bird's. "His name is Petey. Isn't he wonderful?" she exclaimed as she began to bob her head up and down in synchrony with the bird, who imitated her movement perfectly as the bird began to squawk in excitement.

Brian covered his ears as the bird screeched in an ear-piercing cry. "Uh, _Poppa_…..Can I have a word with you out in the hall?" He turned to give his daughter a tender smile as he said, "We'll be right back, honey." He didn't wait for Justin to reply as he grabbed the blond's lower arm and pulled him quickly from the room.

"Justin, are you out of your fucking mind?" he hissed as they stopped halfway down the hall and he placed his hands on his hips in disbelief. "A parrot?" The bird suddenly issued another loud, earth-shattering screech as he winced in response.

"You told her she could have any pet she wanted as long as it was kept in a cage," he reminded the other man defensively. "She actually wanted an iguana first and I talked her out of it."

Brian had to admit – the thought of a slimy, scaly lizard slithering all over the house didn't fill him with joy at all…but a _parrot_? "Couldn't you talk her into a rabbit or a turtle or something…_anything_ besides a fucking parrot?" He shook his head in disbelief. Of all the pets he thought his daughter might choose when he agreed rather grudgingly to let her bring one home, this was the last thing he had envisioned. "Do you realize how noisy and dirty those birds are?" One of his favorite watering holes in the Pitts – the Buccaneer – had kept a multi-colored macaw in a large cage near the corner of the bar, and the damn thing had squawked and stared at him intently whenever he stopped in as if he were checking him out. He finally had quit going there because he couldn't stand the noise and the bird freaked him out; now there was going to be one of those hideous creatures in his own _house_?

Justin's eyes flashed as he folded his arms over his chest and said, "That's what she decided, Brian, and she kept to your rules. If you don't like it, then YOU go in there and tell her he has to go back." He had already suffered through one disappointment at his daughter's expense earlier today when he had had to turn down her request for the iguana; he wasn't about to do the same thing again now.

Brian winced again as the bird once more let out a loud screech that resembled something like fingernails scratching on a blackboard. He sighed in defeat – he knew he could never go back into their daughter's room and disappoint her. All she had to do was plaster on that tear-stained face and turn those pink little lips down in heartbreak and he was a goner – just like when her _father_ did the same thing. He turned to face his partner who was eyeing him intently as he waited for Brian's decision, although something told Brian he knew _exactly_ what he was going to do – nothing.

"That bird had better go to bed the second that our daughter does, Mr. Taylor," he muttered finally.

Justin smiled in relief as he reached up to give Brian a sympathetic kiss. "The pet store says they need about 12 hours of sleep a night, so don't worry. Petey and Issy will go to bed together."

As they broke apart, Brian twisted his mouth and muttered, "They'd better," he warned. "Or we _won't _be."

_

* * *

_

_Three Days Later – Sunrise_

"Justin…..your cell phone's ringing," Brian mumbled in his pillow, nudging his partner with his elbow in an effort to get him to answer the incessantly-ringing contraption. "Will you answer the damn thing?"

Justin's eyes peered out through his overly-long bangs to reach out for his phone sitting on the nightstand, only it wasn't there; he remembered he had left it in the car yesterday. Besides, his phone always went to voicemail after four rings and this one was still ringing. So what was that noise?

He lifted his head up and listened for several seconds as Brian continued to curse under his breath for it to stop. Finally, he realized what it was and had to laugh.

Brian raised his tousled head up and snapped, "What is so funny, Justin - answer the fucking phone! Who would be calling you at this hour anyway? It's barely light out!" Before their pre-Issy days, it wouldn't have been so unusual; now, though, since their child had come along, staying out late partying and getting calls at all hours of the day and night wasn't so common anymore.

"It's not my phone, Brian," the blond told him giggling. "It's Petey."

Brian groaned as he dropped his head back onto the pillow in disgust. When Issy and Justin had brought home that winged monstrosity a few days ago, his main concerns had been how dirty and squawky they could be. He had completely forgotten how adept they were at imitating sound. Unfortunately for them, though, this particular bird had proven to be quite talented at quickly picking up on every sound he heard and replicating it in short order. Apparently, Petey had heard Justin's phone ringing off and on over the past few days and had wasted no time in duplicating the sound perfectly. "Shit," he muttered, as he placed his hands over his pillow and buried himself back into the mattress.

He tried to drown out the high-pitched tone but it was no use; after several seconds of struggling against it, he sighed more heavily this time and lifted his head up to peer into Justin's amused eyes. "This is NOT funny, Justin," he told his husband. "How can our daughter even _sleep_ through all that racket?"

Justin smiled as he leaned down to take a playful nip at Brian's chin. "You know what a sound sleeper she is," he reminded him. "I guess she's just gotten used to it."

"Well, if Petey's up, then SHE should be up, too," he decided. "It's HER bird, not ours. That was the deal – she takes care of him. That includes socializing him properly…..and making sure he keeps his beak shut when I'm trying to sleep." He finally sat up in their bed and looked around. "Don't we have some duct tape around here somewhere?"

"Brian," the blond scolded him. "He can't help it – he's just doing what parrots always do – mimicking what he hears from others." He listened as he heard some cheerful squawking coming from down the hallway, followed by a voice distinctly saying, "I love you, Brian."

Brian rolled his eyes. "Oh, brother. Did you have to teach him that? The damn bird's turned into a lesbian now."

Justin smiled. "I didn't teach him that – he must have heard it when we were, well…..you know….."

"Shit. I thought you said that creature had to sleep for 12 hours a night. So why he is up at the crack of dawn like some fucking rooster?"

Justin shrugged, joking, "I guess he's just a bird of a different feather." As Brian snorted, he added in explanation, "Issy must have forgotten to put the cover over his cage when she went to bed."

As if on cue, Petey let out a couple of loud squawks and a few whistles before falling inexplicably quiet.

"Thank God," Brian groaned in relief as he fell back down onto the bed and blissful silence filled the room. He sighed and burrowed back into the pillow for several seconds and was almost fast asleep in moments when all of a sudden…..

"Harder! Faster! Awk!"

"Wha…..?" He bolted back upright in bed, noticing Justin stirring also as he heard Petey start up again.

The bird began to emit what sounded suspiciously like moans and grunts as he repeated his words from before just for good measure. "Harder! Faster! You like that? You like that? Awk! I love you, Brian!"

This time Brian burst out laughing as he peered over at Justin, whose face was a mixture of embarrassment and horror.

"Tell me I didn't just hear what I thought I heard," the blond pleaded.

"Well, you don't see ME fucking you at the moment, do you?"

"Harder, faster…Awk! I love you, Brian! I love you, Brian!"

"Shit! Brian – we can't have that bird repeating that in front of Issy! And – fuck! She's going to have all her friends over in two days for her slumber party and the first thing she's going to do is show them Petey! Shit! We can't have him repeating that in front of her – OR her friends!" He sat back up in bed and placed his head in his hands as he rested them on his elbows. He lifted his head after a few seconds to stare down into the amused face of his partner. "Is it possible to deprogram a bird?"

Brian guffawed. "I don't think so, Sunshine. It's not _Petey's_ fault if you're too vocal when we fuck."

"Oh, so now you're _defending_ him?" the blond retorted. "A few minutes ago you wanted to have him for dinner."

Brian's eyes twinkled as he replied, "I think I'm warming up to him now."

"Squawk! Awk! Oh, Yeah! Harder!"

Justin covered his eyes with his hands in total mortification. "I don't believe this." He raised his head to stare into the bemused face of his husband. "We can't let her keep that bird, Brian! What if the parents come to drop off their kids and hear him talking like that? This is bad – really bad. Didn't I tell you to keep the door closed when we fuck? But, no, you said _it doesn't matter, Sunshine – Issy's not at home, Sunshine. It's hot when we fuck with the door open, Sunshine." _He shook his head in embarrassment. "Well, maybe it was before we brought home a stool pigeon for a pet."

Brian snorted at Justin's look of dismay; he felt sorry for him in a way, but he had to admit – it was funny as hell. Talk about poetic justice…"Refresh my memory, Sunshine – I'm getting senile - whose idea was it to buy Issy a bird? Huh?"

"I know, I know," Justin snapped. "But now we have to figure out how to get rid of him!" He closed his eyes in indecision. He loved his daughter dearly and hated the idea of upsetting her, but unless there was a way to cure Petey of his eavesdropping habit – and wash his beaked mouth out with soap – they couldn't take the risk of someone overhearing his rather enthusiastic soliloquies. A sudden temporary solution occurred to him. "Maybe we could have my mom bird sit the night of the slumber party."

Brian snorted. "She already has a granddaughter she spoils rotten – I doubt seriously if she'll be too excited about having Petey over for company. Besides, all her neighbors would be up in arms over the noise. Even the mailman asked me the other day if we had a bird and he doesn't get any closer than the end of the driveway."

"He did?"

"Yeah….Well, his actual words were – 'Did you just get a bird or are you skinning cats alive in the house?' I don't think he considered it music to his ears."

Justin gazed at him dryly as Petey let out another screeching squawk. "I wonder why."

Looking at Justin's miserable expression on his face, Brian took one of the pale hands in his and said, "Listen, Sunshine. At least we don't use the 'F' bomb when Issy's around and apparently at least Petey hasn't added that particular word to his repertoire yet. If we're careful, the most he'll come up with is what he's already said. That's not too bad – except for the 'I love you, Brian' part; I could do without that one. But we can just put Petey upstairs in your attic studio until the girls are all gone and bring him back down afterward. Issy won't really understand what he's saying anyway. You're blowing this out of proportion, Justin," he assured his husband, who was looking more miserable by the second. "It'll be okay, you'll see." He snorted softly and shook his head in amazement. "I can't believe I'm actually sticking up for that bird brain."

"I love you, Brian! Awk!"

Brian sighed as Justin finally grinned at the bird's impeccable timing. "Now go shut the door and let's (he lowered his voice so there was no way Petey could hear) _fuck_."


	5. Slumber Party

_A/N: This should be the last chapter that is out of order - sorry again for the confusion - I didn't want to skip covering Issy's slumber party for her 9th birthday. Thanks for following along with my muddled brain!:)_

_

* * *

_

_Two Days Later – Day of Issy's Slumber Party; Late Afternoon_

"Shit!" Justin shook his left vigorously hand up and down, trying somehow to diminish the sting from the paper cut he had just received on his index finger from the lime-green streamer he was trying to place in the corner of their kitchen. How could something so relatively minor hurt like a motherfucker? He stretched up as far as he could on the small stepstool with the tape to try and finish securing the end of the streamer in place; it didn't quite reach up as far as he needed it to, but it was the only one he could find in the house. "Damn it!" he muttered as he reached on his tiptoes. Just a little more…..

He panicked as he felt the ladder teetering below him; he made a last-ditch effort to stay in place but his feet slipped out from under him as the stool tilted and he felt nothing but air beneath him. Just before he would have fallen on his ass, he felt a pair of strong arms catch him deftly in their grasp.

"Still unable to keep from falling for me, huh?" Brian quipped smugly, a grin on his face as Justin gazed up at him sheepishly.

Brian couldn't resist leaning down to plant a brief but sound kiss on the blond's lips before lowering his legs to the ground. "Why weren't you using the 6-foot ladder?" he scolded Justin.

"I was in a hurry," was the response. "I've only got two hours left to get all these decorations up before Issy's friends start arriving, and I didn't have time to go looking all over the house for it."

Brian looked at him reproachfully. "Well, if you'd landed on your ass and broken something, you would have been in an even worse position. You and I probably would've had to resort to only blowjobs for at least a good month," he said, curling his lips under as Justin grinned at him. "The ladder's in the garage where it's _supposed_ to be, Sunshine."

Justin shrugged. "Well, I'm almost done with it now – if someone will finish hanging up that streamer over there." He eyed Brian meaningfully as he held out the spool of tape.

"I knew I should have arranged for an out-of-town meeting this week," he grumbled as he nevertheless walked over to the corner of the room and picked up the dangling end of the streamer. Climbing the small stepstool with disarming agility, he quickly tore off a piece of the clear packing tape from its dispenser and was about to hang up the streamer when he was quickly corrected.

"Not _that_ way! You have to twist it first!"

Brian rolled his eyes. "So sorry, Martha Stewart – what _was_ I thinking?" He temporarily placed his hand over his heart in mock contrition before he did as he was told and, glancing back to make sure the streamer's end was twisted enough to match the corresponding ice-blue one on the opposite wall, he slapped the taped end to the corner of the ceiling with his palm.

Jumping down with surprising ease from the ladder, he turned smugly to peer at his husband. "Piece of cake," he said, smiling.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Justin cried as he suddenly thought of something else he needed to do. "Shit! I have to get the cake out soon so it's defrosted enough to slice!" He started to rush out of the room to run downstairs to their furnished lower rec room to retrieve the birthday cake from the freezer when he was stopped by a muscular hand tightly gripping his forearm.

"Just a minute there, Mad Max," Brian said gently. "I already got the cake out a few minutes ago and put it in the refrigerator," he reassured the flustered blond. "Why don't you take a rest for a few minutes, or you're going to be frazzled before this whole thing even starts?" _And he had been afraid HE was going to be flustered….. _

Justin sighed, grateful that Brian had had the foresight to take care of at least that little detail. "There's so much to do before her party, I'm afraid I'm going to forget something," he told his husband truthfully. "I just want it to be perfect for her, that's all. This is the first birthday party she's having at home, and I want it to be special."

Brian gazed at him tenderly. "It will be," he told him with conviction. "Don't worry – everything's going to work out just fine. I think you're more worried about it than Issy." He noticed how quiet it seemed. "Where _is_ she, anyway? I thought she'd be running around here nonstop right now with it so close to her party starting."

Justin grinned. "Oh, she has been, trust me; she's been driving me crazy nonstop since this morning. I finally suggested a little while ago that she give Petey his bath and pretty him up before everyone gets here, so she's probably in her bathroom right now with him."

Brian rolled his eyes. "I should have guessed they were doing something together – it was just too quiet around here. Actually, I was hoping Petey might have choked on a carrot stick and gone to meet that great Big Bird in the sky."

"Brian, you do _not_!" Justin scolded him. "I know you don't mean that – if something happened to Petey, Issy would be devastated."

Brian twisted his lips. "Yeah, _I_ would be, too," he joked, before sighing at Justin's indignant scowl. "Okay, a man can wish, can't he?" He pulled at his tie to loosen it, cursing whatever woman had invented this horrid, constricting piece of attire (and it _had_ to have been a woman, no man would have ever subjected himself to this) – before adding, "I'm going to run upstairs and change." He eyed Justin naughtily. "Care to join me, twinkle toes?"

Justin snorted, grinning. "Don't tempt me, Tarzan, but I have to finish decorating before everyone gets here."

Brian huffed in resignation. "Something tells me the only heavy breathing I'm going to hear for the next 24 hours is when Issy blows out her birthday candles." He placed his hands on Justin's shoulders to pull the slender body toward his and lean down to ravage the soft, willing, pink lips thoroughly. As they eventually pulled back, breathless, he murmured, "That was one for the road in the meantime to let you know what you'll be missing."

Justin grinned and gave him a short swat on his ass as he turned around and left the kitchen in his husband's more creative hands.

* * *

Clad a few minutes later in a casual outfit of a cashmere, ribbed gray sweater and a pair of dark-blue jeans, a barefoot-clad Brian softly plodded down the hallway in search of his daughter. As he neared Issy's room, he could hear her cooing to Petey in the bathroom as the sound of splashing water could be heard, following by an occasional squawk or whistle.

"Petey!" he heard Issy shriek in glee. "You're getting me wet, you birdbrain!"

"Awk! Whee, Whoo…..! Issy's a pretty girl, Issy's a pretty girl…..! Squawk!"

Brian had to smile in spite of himself. At least Petey was talking about Issy now and not him…..Hopefully, that would hold out for a while at least. The constant "I love you, Brian's" he had been hearing for the past two days had started to grate on his nerves. It had taken him long enough to get used to _Justin _saying it out loud; somehow, hearing the same vow through the lips (was that even the right word for a bird?) of a parrot didn't quite have the same effect on his emotions – or his cock…..

"Awk! That feels so good…"

_Uh, Oh_…Brian thought as he stood in the bedroom's entrance. He held his breath waiting for the bird to speak once more…..

"Issy's a pretty girl, Issy's a pretty girl….."

He sighed in relief, letting his breath out in a pursed whoosh. "Issy?" he called out.

"In here, Daddy!" she said. "I'm giving Issy a bath."

Brian smiled at his girl's motherly tone of voice, thinking that most girls her age would be using that matronly voice on a doll; only _his_ daughter would be utilizing it for a parrot…..

He walked over to stand in the bathroom's doorway to gaze at his daughter kneeling over the partially-filled bathtub. Petey, who seemed to have grown by at least a couple of inches since coming to live with them, was splashing gleefully in the bottom of the shallow water of the tub. His rather large wings were fluttering in ecstasy as he used his head to pick up some water and throw it over his back repeatedly. While he was flapping his wings, he constantly strutted around the bottom of the tub's surface, squawking and whistling. He bobbed his head up and down animatedly before beginning his conversation once more. "Issy's a pretty girl…..I love you, Brian."

"No, Petey!" Issy scolded him. "It's I love you, _Daddy_. I love you, Daddy – say it," she reprimanded him softly. She glanced over at her father staring at her in amusement. "Daddy, why does he keep using your first name? I don't do that," she pointed out perceptively.

Brian smiled. "I think it's because Petey has heard your Poppa using my first name when he tells me he loves me," he told her sensibly. Of course, he wasn't about to _also_ tell her when Justin normally felt such a strong need to utter that heartfelt endearment; he was having enough fears already that any second now, Petey would blurt out a little too much information and he would have to explain something _else_ to her…..

"Petey!" Issy cried out, giggling, as the bird wriggled so eagerly in the water that it splashed up and over the tub's lip, throwing a large blotch on her shirt. "Stop that!"

Brian chuckled. "Sweetheart, I think it's time Petey gets dried off so you can get ready for your party," he suggested.

She smiled at her father and nodded. "Okay, Daddy," she agreed. She reached over to pick up a fluffy, pink towel lying on the floor. Placing it on her shoulder, she patted the edge of the tub a few times. "Come on, Petey," she urged the bird. "Time to get out."

Brian watched with amazement as Petey squawked a few times and tottered back and forth on his clawed feet before, wings flapping, he jumped up on top of the tub's lip. Brian squeezed his eyes shut briefly and flinched a little as some droplets of water landed on both him and his daughter when the bird shook his body vigorously. He bit back an expletive as Issy giggled at the spray of water before taking the towel and wrapping it gently around the bird's torso. She tenderly rubbed his feathered belly to partially dry him off before loosening the towel and draping it over the bathtub's edge. Holding out her finger, Petey obediently waddled over to her before taking a slight hop and landing on the dainty, outstretched digit.

Issy stood up slowly as Petey wrapped the bottom of his claws around her finger and she began to walk toward her father. Brian watched the bird warily as she approached, leaning over with his head to give her a small kiss on her forehead but at the same time making sure Petey didn't try to give him his _own_ version of a peck as they passed by.

As she placed the bird back into his outrageously palatial cage, she locked the gate and turned to face her father who had followed her into the bedroom to lean against the bathroom's doorway. "He looks so pretty now, Daddy," she told him, smiling. "Everybody can't wait to see him! They want to hear him talk!"

_Yeah….I can't wait, either. _He and Justin had discussed relocating Petey temporarily to another part of the house while Issy had her slumber party, but they ultimately decided to just let things ride and hope for the best. They both knew that Issy had her heart set on showing him off to all her friends, and she would have been heartbroken if she had had to be separated from him. Since Petey had thankfully not shown any tendencies to extrapolate on his "harder, faster," speech, they were hopeful that none of Issy's friends – or worse, their parents – would put two and two together and figure out what the bird was actually overhearing. At least, that was their hope.

Brian grinned back at her eagerness. "I'm sure they'll all be impressed with how much you've taught him to say, Princess," he told her. "But you'd better go ahead and get ready for your party – your friends will be here soon," he reminded her.

She bounced up and down lightly on her feet. "I can't wait, Daddy! It's going to be so much fun!" She started to walk over to her walk-in closet to begin looking for something to wear when Brian held out his hand to gently stop her. "Your poppa and I have something for you," she told her affectionately. "It's on the bed in the spare guest room."

Issy beamed that smile that always reminded Brian of someone _else's_ smile and made his heart do a somersault as her eyes lit up and she ran out of her room and down the hall to retrieve what Brian had mentioned. A few seconds later, he could hear her running back down the hallway before she rushed into her room, clutching a medium-sized, lime-green, rectangular box with a big, sparkling light-blue and pink box wrapped around the lid and the bottom. She hurriedly placed the fancy-looking box down on her bed and turned excitedly to face her father. "What is it, Daddy?" she asked breathlessly, her sapphire-blue eyes shining with anticipation.

"Open the box and see, Baby," he told her with a tender smile.

He watched as she reached down and quickly yanked the decorated box top up with the impatience so prevalent in a preteen girl before squealing at what she found nestled in the white tissue paper; Justin had even found some that was speckled with her favorite colors of lime green, soft pink, and sky blue in keeping with her birthday theme. Brian made a mental note to tell his husband once more how amazing he was as he watched their daughter's face light up in delight at what she found.

"Daddy," she murmured in awe. It's beautiful." She gingerly lifted the gift as if it were the most precious jewel in the world. Inside the gift box was a white, wooden jewelry chest decorated with pink, blue and green dragonflies and flowers. On the top of the box her official name had been written in flowery script in bold, bright letters: _Isabella_.

She turned to look at her father silently, her face practically glowing in pleasure as she rose from the bed and took her prized possession over to the chest. Petey eyed her curiously from his cage on top as she gently placed the box down to open the doors. "There's some jewelry inside already, Daddy!" she exclaimed in surprise as she reached in to take out a necklace hanging inside. It was a gold chain with a heart dangling from it.

Brian felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned to gaze at Justin, who had softly walked up behind him. He turned to smile at the blond before telling the little girl, "It's a locket, Princess – open it up," he told her softly. He reached to wrap his arm around Justin's waist automatically and pull him closer as Issy did as he instructed.

"It has your and Poppa's pictures in it!" she said, smiling back at him as she pried the sides apart and took a peek.

Brian nodded. "You like it?" he asked her.

In response, she ran over to her fathers and hugged first Brian and then Justin. "I love it, Daddy!" she told the brunet. "Put it on me, Poppa," she asked Justin. The blond smiled at her tenderly before she turned her back to him and lifted her long, slightly unruly mop of hair for her father to attach the chain around her neck.

"There," he said softly as he quickly connected the two ends. "Let's see," he asked as she turned around to beam at them.

Brian smiled at him as Justin gazed back at their daughter and found the tears beginning to form. "You're beautiful, Honey," the blond told her proudly as she glowed at the praise.

"You certainly are," Brian agreed, unable to prevent staring at his beautiful daughter who reminded him so much of someone else he adored. "Someone else is, too," he whispered in his husband's ear, watching as Justin blushed. It amused him that even after all this time, he could still do that to him and it made his heart warm at the thought. The two men gazed at each other for a few seconds before Brian rescued Justin from choking up any further by changing the subject. "So what are you going to wear to your party, Princess?"

Issy bounced up and down in excitement. "I'm going to wear my favorite shirt and my Princess jeans!" she announced. "And my locket, too."

Brian nodded. "Well, we'll let you get ready, then, Honey. Your poppa and I still have some things to do before your guests arrive. You come and get us if you need us for anything, okay?"

She smiled happily. "Okay, Daddy," she told them. As they turned to leave, they could hear her saying, "Look what I got for my birthday, Petey? Isn't it pretty?" That followed another voice that promptly said, "Issy is a pretty girl, Issy is a pretty girl...Awk!"

Justin grinned at Brian as they walked, hand in hand, down the hallway. "I wonder how Petey would like peanut butter?" the brunet inquired. "Maybe if we're lucky, he'll get his beak stuck together until at least the party's over; that would eliminate at least one possible problem."

Justin snickered. "Somehow I don't think that would shut him up adequately. He seems to be quite glib for a bird."

Brian snorted. "I've noticed that." He sighed. "It was a just a thought….." He stopped his husband just before they were about to descend the elaborately-carved staircase by squeezing on his hand. "Still preparing for the party, Sunshine?" he wondered.

Justin shook his head, rattling off all the details in his mind. "I think I finally have everything in order until all the girls arrive – I've got the snacks and drinks all ready, all the decorations up, the silverware, the plates, the cups, ice in the ice bucket…..I don't _think_ there's anything left to do, at least for a while," he said, frowning. "Why? Did I forget something?"

Brian curled his lips under before saying huskily, "Yeah...me; I think we've got just enough time for a little _celebration_ of our own before hers gets started….." He placed both of their clasped hands on Justin's back as he stood in front of the slender body and pulled him against his chest to emphasize his point. "Something tells me it may be the last chance I get for the next 24 hours." He nipped at Justin's earlobe, eliciting a small groan in response as he felt the lithe body shiver slightly in his arms.

"Brian," Justin whispered breathlessly, glancing down the hallway toward their daughter's room. "What about Issy? She might come out any minute and wonder where we are….."

Brian smiled; he could tell by the tone of Justin's voice that he wasn't going to put up much of a fight. "That's what door locks are for; if she comes looking for us, we'll just tell her we're getting dressed….instead of _undressed_." He wrapped his other hand around Justin's back to keep him from escaping. "I'm horny as hell right now, Mr. Taylor, and only _you_ can take care of that little problem. How about giving _me_ a little gift, too?" he sensually whispered.

Justin closed his eyes as all sorts of sensations coursed through his body; he hoped that his husband would _always_ need this particular gift as he surrendered to what his heart – and his _own_ body – was so badly craving. "Well, no reason why Issy should be the _only_ one celebrating today," he decided as Brian swooped down for a brief kiss before tugging him urgently toward the bedroom. "I love you, Brian," he sing-songed in a perfect imitation of someone else as, laughing, Brian quickly closed their bedroom door and locked it.

* * *

_One Hour Later – Downstairs_

The constant ringing of the doorbell signaled the beginning of the night's chaos as party guest after party guest appeared at their doorstep with a parent and the obligatory gift in tow; most of the pre-teen girls had a backpack or small tote bag slung over their shoulders as Issy excitedly ran to the door to greet them each time the doorbell rang.

"Well, I'll say one thing at least," Brian remarked as Issy and her latest guest came rushing down the hallway and scurried downstairs to the furnished, lower floor rec room. "At least they're not wasting any time staying up here. Converting the lower level into a party room was the best money I ever spent."

From his position at the kitchen table, Justin grinned. "Well, who would have thought your party room would turn into a little girl's palace?" When Issy had been born, Brian had wasted no time converting his former sanctuary into an almost girly-girl dream room. He had surprisingly removed many of the former furnishings – even his exercise equipment and "toy" box – and had replaced them with an indoor palace playhouse, a scaled-down version of a stage for dress-up fun, a miniature bowling alley, and a home theater, complete with four rows of plush, cinema-quality seats with matching cup holders; everything that a certain, completely-spoiled little girl would love. In the process, though, he and Brian had both found that they actually enjoyed spending time with their little girl down there as well – Brian had been able to replace his former horrible memories of bowling with his father with much more pleasurable ones, thanks in large part to his daughter who always managed to make him smile no matter how stressful his day may have been. He had even been persuaded at times to have imaginary tea and cookies with her inside her pink and green palace, complete with an upstairs turret and a small, wooden bridge that spanned an imaginary moat. And Justin now had a legitimate reason to enjoy watching tons of animated flicks with Issy on their miniature movie theater projection screen.

All of these revisions to Brian's previous escape room were serving them well today, because Issy's friends were thoroughly fascinated with the opulently-appointed room. It also managed to help preserve Brian's sanity as well while he sat with Justin at the kitchen table, sipping some decaf coffee.

The sounds of twenty, pre-teen girls screaming and squealing in delight drifted up from the downstairs as Justin and Brian looked at each other. A few seconds later, a pulsating beat began to filter up from below accompanying by several female voices singing along.

"What is _going_ on down there?" Brian wondered in amazement. "Sounds like a junior version of Babylon."

Justin smiled. "I showed Issy how to use the karaoke machine this morning. I think they're practicing for the school's talent show next month."

Brian rolled his eyes and couldn't help blurting out, "Oh, no - she's not going to sing again, is she?" He still had a vivid memory of her recent performance in Annie, and he did not think her getting up in front of the whole school again for a solo was very wise - not only for their rather sensitive-hearted daughter but also the parents who would be a captive audience to it.

"Brian," Justin scolded him. "She can't help it if she takes after you."

"Ha, ha," he replied. "I think _that's_ debatable. Just tell me her days as Britney Spears are over."

Justin licked his lips and smiled. "I think she's too involved with Petey lately to want to revive her acting career. I think you're safe from autograph hounds, _Dad_."

"Whew," Brian said. "I never thought I'd say it, but thank you, Petey."

"Poppa!"

Justin stood up from the table and walked over to the staircase going downstairs. "Yeah, Honey?" he called down to their daughter.

"Sara won't let me play any of my favorite songs!" she complained, her lips pouting as she sulked.

Brian hid his smile behind his hand as he said, "Time to put out a fire, Sunshine." As Justin turned to glare at him, he said, shrugging, "She was calling you….not me."

Justin gave him a look that clearly said, _You are so going to get it later, Kinney_, before he turned to walk down the steps to try and play referee. Fifteen minutes later, he reemerged, rubbing his hand over his face in exasperation. "I had to make them turn the machine off," he informed Brian. "It was the only way I could make peace. To get them to kiss and make up, I had to _bribe_ them with makeup," he joked. "They're down there painting each other's toes and putting on lip gloss. I just barely escaped with my manhood intact…..so to speak," he added as Brian raised his eyebrows at him.

"Emmy Lou let you borrow his cosmetics?" Brian quipped.

Justin shook his head and laughed. "You're incorrigible," he remarked.

"I am….I really am," Brian agreed, standing up to walk up to his husband with a grin. "And you wouldn't have it any other way, Sunshine." He gently turned Justin around to place his hands on his shoulders and squeeze. "Hmm…you're too tight," he observed, massaging the stressed-out muscles.

"You never complained about that before," Justin teased; he sighed in bliss as Brian's hands worked their magic. "Mmmm…that feels so good."

Brian nuzzled his head against the soft cheek of his husband and promised huskily, "Come upstairs and I'll make you feel _really good_."

Justin closed his eyes in contentment, so tempted to take Brian up on his offer. It would be so easy to surrender for just a moment and forget that they had 21 pre-adolescent girls downstairs who, while not exactly babies, were still probably not mature enough to be left alone for long, not even as long as it would take to participate in what Brian had in mind. "You don't know how much I wish I could do that, Mr. Kinney," he said wearily with regret. "But someone needs to keep an eye on them. They can be best buds one second and then want to scratch each other's eyes out the next."

Brian sighed. "Yeah….kind of like my employees fighting over the last doughnut at the water cooler."

Justin chuckled softly, turning his head to give Brian a brief kiss. "I'll make it up to you after the girls leave tomorrow," he promised.

"Well, if I need to hear any words of endearment in the meantime, I can just take Petey into the bedroom with me," he suggested as Justin laughed.

"Daddy, we're hungry!"

Justin smiled broadly. "I think she's playing _your_ song now, _Dad_." Justin turned around to retrieve a platter of sandwiches lying on the kitchen counter and place them in Brian's hands. He gave him an encouraging push toward the open doorway for good measure. "It's only fair I share the wealth with you," he added innocently. The brunet glared at him momentarily before he turned and silently trudged down the basement steps.

_

* * *

_

Thirty Minutes Later

Justin looked up from his coffee cup as Brian finally returned with an empty platter. "I felt like I was a guppy down there in a sea of piranhas," he groused as he placed the dish in the sink. "I've never seen anything like it. After what I just saw, there's no doubt that girl is your daughter. I surprised I got back up here with all my fingers intact."

He sat down next to Justin at the kitchen table. "As soon as I said 'birthday cake and ice cream,' I had to fight 'em off with the cake cutter just to get out of there alive."

Justin laughed as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and patted his back. "You poor defenseless baby," he murmured. "Set loose in a pack of pre-teen girls."

"Yeah….all those female hormones run amok," he agreed, placing his head in his hands. "It wasn't pretty." A sudden thought occurred to him. "Justin…I'm almost afraid to ask, but where are all those girls going to sleep tonight?"

"Oh, I thought I'd put them up in the guest bedroom next to ours – after all, it _is_ the next biggest one after the master." He chuckled at Brian's look of horror as he gave him a quick jab in his bicep. "Don't look so aghast," he told him, shaking his head. "Petey plus 20 screaming girls who have no intention of sleeping anyway? You really _haven't_ been around females much, have you?" he joked. At least he had had some exposure to them by virtue of having to tolerate the sometimes annoying antics of his sister at the same age; it seemed to be an inbred trait with them. "Issy's already said they all just want to sack out on the rug downstairs – I figured you might not object to that too strenuously. I think they'll be okay until daybreak - I haven't heard any more catfights break out lately."

Brian huffed. "Do I really have to answer that question?" He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Fuck – you really had me scared there for a second." He leaned over to nibble on the bottom of Justin's earlobe before whispering, "And here I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fuck you for several hours." As Justin shivered in pleasure, Brian explained, "It seems my luck has just changed. Now we can just fuck for several hours instead."

Justin smiled. "I always knew you were a smart man." Brian gave his neck a lick with his hot, wet tongue to elicit another shiver of approval before Justin reluctantly stood up. At Brian's silent question of surprise, he said, "Let me just go down and check on the party-that-never-stops before us old people retire to bed."

Brian smiled at that idea before Justin walked over to the open stairway and plodded downstairs; the sound of some teen flick currently playing wafted up from the small movie theater amidst sounds of laughter as Brian waited somewhat impatiently for his husband to return.

He rolled his eyes as he shortly observed Justin coming back up with a large, red, plastic bowl filled to the brim with freshly-popped popcorn. Justin smiled at him sheepishly, saying, "They offered me some and I didn't want to be rude."

Brian snorted. "There's a difference between being rude and being a one-man eating machine."

"Well, you're a one-man_ fucking_ machine, so what's the difference?"

As Justin came to stand next to his chair, Brian rose and said, "Sunshine, if I have to explain that difference to you by now, I married the wrong man."

Justin merely responded by raising a small batch of the popcorn to his lips and plopping it in his mouth. He extended his somewhat buttery fingers to dangle them in front of Brian's lips playfully, his eyes twinkling. "Well, maybe we can combine our best talents," he suggested, smiling.

Brian couldn't help curling his lips under to grin back at him before clasping the slender fingers in his and opening his mouth to take them inside. He suckled on the salty, somewhat greasy fingers with his tongue, eliciting a moan of appreciation from Justin, before the blond reluctantly pulled them out.

"I thought I could break my 'no carbs after seven' rule tonight in honor of our daughter's birthday," Brian murmured huskily. "Now put that fucking barrelful of popcorn down so we can go feast on something else. We don't get this chance every day, you know."

"I like the way you think, Mr. Kinney," Justin agreed, reaching over to place the bowl with the now half-eaten snack food down. Brian reached for his _unbuttered _hand as they turned to go.

"Daddy! Poppa!"

Brian and Justin sighed as they looked at each other. "What is it, Princess?" Brian called down to her.

They watched together as their daughter bounded up the steps; she was wearing sparkly pink nail-polish with silver flecks in it, matching pink lip gloss, and way too much light blue eye shadow and the wrong shade of makeup, but to both men, she was still the most beautiful little girl they had ever seen.

"Did you or the other girls need something before we go upstairs to bed?" Justin asked her tenderly as she came rushing up to them.

She shook her head, her long blond hair swishing back and forth in the lime green scrunchie she had used to tie her ponytail back with. "No…..I just wanted to say goodnight," she explained a little shyly. Her need to appear more grownup to her friends had warred with the little girl inside her that still needed her fathers' loving touch before the latter desire had won out and she had quickly run up the steps to intercept them.

She melted into Brian's open arms as she wrapped her small, slender hands around his waist and placed her head against his chest. Brian's heart warmed at his little girl's touch as he placed his hand on top of her head. She glanced up into his soft, loving hazel eyes and smiled at him. "Good night, Daddy," she whispered. "I love you," she added.

Brian smiled at his little girl and swallowed the lump in his throat that always seemed to arise whenever his daughter gave him that certain type of smile, much like her father did. He still couldn't quite believe how his life had changed so much just by the addition of this one human being, but remembering how much it had changed when _another_ blond had come along, perhaps he shouldn't have been too surprised. At least now the words he had been so reluctant to say to Justin before came easily from his lips now. "I love you, too, Princess," he said affectionately as he kissed the top of her head and gave her a big squeeze before letting her go.

Issy turned to hug her other father as Justin wrapped his arms around her shoulders and embraced her tightly. Brian stood there silently, noticing how perfectly they matched, from their pale skin to the color of their golden, sun-kissed hair and their blue eyes – those eyes that always mesmerized and captivated him, even now.

Justin smiled as he hugged his daughter tight for a few seconds before he pulled back to bend down and place a quick kiss on her cheek. "Having a good time tonight, Honey?" he asked tenderly, gazing into her sparkling blue eyes that were shining with happiness.

She bobbed her head up and down. "It's great, Poppa!" she verified, smiling brightly up at him. "I'm having the best time!"

Justin beamed back at her. "I'm glad, Sweetheart," he whispered. He glanced over at the stairs. "You'd better get back so you don't miss any more of your movie," he told her, knowing that if she stayed upstairs much longer she might be accused of being a 'Daddy's Girl,' or in her case, a 'Daddies Girl.' That might very well be the kiss of death to a girl her age…..

She nodded her head as Justin broke off their embrace. "I love you, Poppa," she told him. "Goodnight."

Justin grinned as she turned to go. "Goodnight, Issy," he whispered. "I love you, too."

Issy smiled but just before she began to take her first step downstairs, she turned and said hopefully, "Can I go up and get Petey so he can sleep downstairs with us, too?"

Justin grinned over at Brian. "I don't think your Daddy would object to that, would you?" he asked the brunet, who twisted his lips in response.

"I think I can handle that," he said solemnly as Issy's eyes lit up and she rushed toward the hallway. He shouted after her, "Don't run, Issy!" Under his breath, however, he muttered, I guess it's too much to hope that Petey will break out of his cage and fly away out a window somewhere."

"Brian!" Justin chided him in amusement. "Be careful what you say about Petey. Remember, for a birdbrain he's got a photographic memory."

"Don't remind me," Brian said as the two men began to walk down the hall toward the stairs. Before they could even reach the staircase, their daughter reappeared at the top of the steps in a rush; she slowed down, however, as she reached the steps and carefully began to carry her feathered friend down the stairs as she grasped the banister with her free right hand.

"Awk!...I love you, Brian! Pretty girl, pretty, Issy's a pretty girl!" Petey bounced back and forth excitedly on his perch, thrilled at last to be reunited with his owner and delighted to be seeing new surroundings.

As their daughter passed her fathers, Brian reached out briefly to pat the top of her head and say, "Be careful going down to the rec room, too, Honey – you want me to help you?" He really wasn't too keen on bonding any more with the infamous Petey, but if his daughter wanted his help, he certainly wouldn't refuse her.

Fortunately, their independent daughter decided she could handle him the rest of the way and the two men parted ways with her for the night. As she walked down the hallway, Petey let out a couple of excited whistles and hoots. He could be heard issuing another perfect imitation of Justin's ringing cell phone just before they disappeared out of sight down into the lower level and the house was bathed in surprising silence.

Brian out a whoosh of relief. "Ahh….hear that?"

"What?" Justin asked, frowning.

"Exactly." He grinned at Justin before taking his hand to walk upstairs to enjoy a little, long-awaited private celebration of their own.


	6. Dress Up

_A/N: Please note one more time - Chapter FIVE is the newest chapter (see note there); thanks for navigating this confusing road with me!_

_Orbit Clothing Store – Downtown Pittsburgh_

* * *

Justin gasped as he lifted a price tag and glanced at the cost. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed to Brian, who was standing a few feet away holding up some feathery type of object in his hand. The brunet had no idea what he was examining – all he knew was that it was bright pink, gaudy and sequined with some sort of elastic band around it. He quickly placed it back down before Issy had a chance to realize he had it and tell him she just _had_ to have whatever "it" was.

Brian walked the few steps over to his husband as he kept a watchful eye on their daughter; Issy was currently admiring some jewelry on a display rack near the front register but he could tell she was getting restless to get started. She was lightly fidgeting back and forth on her feet and frequently sneaking glances back at them from time to time when she didn't think he was looking.

"What?" he asked, puzzled as he looked at Justin's shocked expression. "Did you just discover what bras are for?"

"No, you asshole," Justin muttered to him quietly so their daughter wouldn't overhear. "Do you have any idea what these dresses _cost_?" He held out the small, white rectangular tag with the name _Jessica's Originals_ on it that was attached to a frilly, sequined black and pink piece and turned it over. "Three _hundred_ dollars‼ For ONE dress! That's outrageous!" he fumed, shaking his head. "I've heard what happens, you know. At her age they wouldn't be caught _dead_ wearing the same dress twice. Whatever dress we get, she'll only get one use of out it, Brian! That's ridiculous!"

Brian curled his lips under in amusement. "Now, now, Sunshine," he murmured soothingly as he patted Justin's arm. "Don't forget now…..It's for Daddy's Little Girl."

Justin snorted as he snatched his hand away, glancing over at Issy to make sure their conversation wasn't being heard; as she noticed his gaze and gave her father a shy smile, he couldn't help giving his little girl a tender smile in return before he turned his attention back to their conversation.

"More like _Queen Elizabeth_, if you ask me," he retorted to Brian. He reached over to another frock – this time one consisting of a silver and black shiny fabric with a rhinestone belt clip - to perform the same action, hoping that maybe the first price was hopefully an aberration. Once again he hissed softly in shock as he read the tag. "Fuck!" he whispered. "This one's even more than the _last _one – three hundred and _seventy-five_ dollars!" He brushed his hand through his hair in exasperation, his blue eyes flashing with disbelief. "That's obscene! For this amount, I'd be willing to go out and buy a sewing machine to make her one _myself_!" He frowned at the thought; he knew if HE tried to sew their daughter a dress, it would turn out to look like a rumpled, misshapen mess. A sudden inspiration hit him, however….

Brian vigorously shook his head. "Uh, uh, Justin, no way! I am NOT having Debbie sew her dress! Do you happen to recall what Lindsey's so-called wedding dress looked like before Emmett's friend George came to her rescue? Our little princess is NOT going to her first dance looking like Little Orphan Annie!"

"But Brian, how will she ever learn the value of a dollar if we just hand her over a dress that costs such an outrageous amount?"

Brian smirked, joking, "Well, I think she's a little young yet to follow in your footsteps and go to work at the diner, don't you think?" From his husband's tightly-pursed mouth, and the hands presently resting defiantly on his slender hips, something told Brian Justin wasn't quite seeing the humor in the situation, though.

"Come on, Sunshine, it's one dress for fuck's sake!" he cajoled. "And it's for our _daughter_. Now are you going to stand there and tell me you would deprive Issy of attending her first dance without looking like a thousand bucks? You know how much she's been looking forward to this for the past month."

Justin looked into the familiar hazel eyes that always seemed to be able to convince him to do anything, even spend an exorbitant amount of money on a one-time event. He twisted his mouth in concession as he shook his head in defeat and sighed. "You mean a _million _bucks. No daughter with MY genes is going to look like anything less."

Brian grinned in triumph as he waved for their daughter to join them; her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with happiness as she rushed over to give him a hug and a kiss. "Can I try on some dresses now?" she asked him excitedly. This would be the first time Issy would be attending a dance at the junior high school and the first time she would need such a fancy outfit; she could barely contain her excitement while she bounced up and down lightly on her feet as she glanced quickly back and forth at her two fathers for their response.

Brian looked over to Justin, who nodded. Issy immediately let out a jubilant whoop and launched herself into the blond's arms, rapidly bestowing butterfly kisses all over her biological father's face. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you!" She exclaimed, a trademark Sunshine smile of joy on her face.

Justin stared at his beautiful daughter; yes, he was prejudiced, but when she smiled like that, no one could deny that she was truly beautiful. "You're welcome, Sweetheart," he told her affectionately. "Now why don't you go pick out some dresses to try on so we can see them, okay?"

She nodded her head excitedly before quickly rushing toward a nearby rack that held some dresses she had already picked out earlier as soon as they had entered the store. The two men watched as she quickly searched through a few of the display racks for her size and retrieved three dresses in rapid succession. She stopped just long enough to turn to her two fathers standing nearby and say, "I'll be over at the dressing room."

"Okay, Princess, we'll be right there," Brian told her tenderly. As she gave them one more excited smile and scurried away in a flash, Justin turned with amusement to look at Brian. "I _think_ that was our daughter just now; it was either that or a blonde, blue-eyed fashion hurricane."

Brian laughed softly, watching as their daughter disappeared into the fitting room area. "She does seem really excited about it, doesn't she?" he said.

Justin nodded. "Yeah, she does. I haven't seen her _this _excited since we told her we were taking her to Disney World five years ago. It appears she's moved beyond wearing her Mickey Mouse ears now, though."

Brian frowned as he heard an unexpected sniff. "Justin?" He turned his gaze to look at his husband, tilting his head to better stare into the familiar blue eyes that were shiny now with unshed tears. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said quietly, averting his gaze away from Brian.

But Brian wasn't so easily dismissed as he reached over to grasp Justin's chin and force him to look back into his eyes. A sudden realization hit him and his eyes softened. "Are you going all sentimental on me, Sunshine?" he asked tenderly. "Are you worrying that our Little Princess is growing up too fast?" Despite being in a public place, he took a few seconds to softly caress the pale, smooth skin of his partner's cheek before releasing his hold on him to smile at him sympathetically.

Justin gazed back him a little sheepishly before replying, "I know it's silly. But Brian, she's in junior high _already_! And she's about to go to her first school dance. Before you know it, she'll be driving and then graduating from high school and then getting _married_! Before too long, she'll be having a baby of her own and we'll be _grandparents_!"

Brian looked aghast. "Sunshine, I thought I had trained you better than that – I thought I taught you _never_ to utter such a profane word in my presence – I don't DO _grandfathers_!"

As Justin's eyebrows rose, he hastily added, "Well, you know what I mean….."

Justin grinned. "It's okay, _Grandpa_, I understand perfectly." As Brian glared at him, he said, "Why don't we go check out some of the 14-carat gold dresses our daughter has found."

As they arrived just outside the fitting room, both men felt just a bit awkward amongst the sea of young girls and their mothers bustling around the entrance. Several teenage girls were constantly rushing in and out of the dressing area, formals draped over their arms as their mothers stood against the opposite wall waiting to judge the newest possibility each girl tried on. The more clever girls simply stayed inside their cubicle and draped each reject over the top, waiting for their mothers to go and fetch another dress to try on, even though there was a stated limit of three garments per shopper.

"Issy?" Justin called out, trying to determine which stall their daughter was in.

"I'm back here, Daddy," she replied. "Stay there – I'm coming out." Both men glanced toward the end of the small, narrow room, anxiously waiting for their not-so-little girl to emerge. A few seconds later, they heard the louvered door being opened and their daughter stepped out in her first dress: it was a peach-colored frock with multiple layers of tulle and satin, gathered at the side with a faux rhinestone clip with one shoulder laid bare in a sort of toga style. While the dress was thankfully fairly modest, coming to rest just above their daughter's knee, the color was less-than-flattering against Issy's pale skin and the fit around the bodice was much too loose for her somewhat flat-chested, ballerina-like slender frame.

Both men watched in amusement as their daughter walked out and proceeded to twirl around in a 180-degree circle like she was a type of movie starlet, brushing her arms against the sides as she turned. "What do you think, Poppa? Daddy?" She spun around to face them expectantly for their reaction.

Brian and Justin glanced at each other quickly, both able to tell instantly that they were both thinking the same thing – they loved their daughter dearly but they _didn't_ care for the dress. How do you manage to convey that message, however, to a tender-hearted, 13-year-old girl nearing the vulnerable stage of puberty?

"Justin," Brian began, slightly nudging his husband. "Tell Issy what you think of the dress."

Justin glared back at Brian with a look that said _you are SO going to pay for that later, Kinney_ before turning back to his daughter and smiling at her tenderly. Taking a short breath of courage first, he finally replied in his most diplomatic tone of voice, "It's a beautiful dress, Honey. I…..I'd like to see some more, though, before I make up my mind, okay?"

She nodded, thankfully satisfied with that rather ambiguous response from her father as she nodded and quickly walked back to the fitting cubicle and closed the door. As soon as she was safely back inside, Brian chuckled.

Justin glared back at him. "Don't think I'm going to forget that, Mister," he warned as he leaned over to whisper in Brian's ear so no one else would hear. "It's going to be awfully cold up in that big bed by yourself later tonight, _Grandpa_. If you need me when we get home, I'll be in one of the guest bedrooms – the one that's farthest down the hall."

Brian's eyebrows rose in mock horror before he noticed Justin trying to keep from laughing himself. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one," he admitted to the blond. "Peach colored fabric with that pale skin? Uh, uh…not _my _daughter. Orange never did look that good on you, either, by the way," he added, evoking a glare from Justin. His husband was about to retort that orange wasn't exactly HIS most flattering color, either, when Issy once more opened the door with her second choice: a sequined, maroon-colored dress with thin, spaghetti straps and a filmy, transparent, short-sleeved bolero-style jacket fitted over it. The dress, with an A-line waist, fell just below her knees and made her entire body virtually disappear beneath it. At least with this dress they didn't have to worry about it being too revealing – on the contrary, it made their daughter almost look like she was playing dress-up with an older woman's, too-large clothing. "Daddy?" she asked Justin directly this time, causing Brian to once more snicker at his good fortune. "How about this one?"

Justin smiled a little awkwardly, trying to reassure his daughter that both he and Brian would think she was beautiful even if she was wearing a burlap sack, but also needing to be somehow honest with her. Looking at his daughter's face alit with happiness and excitement as she twirled around once more in front of the four-sided mirror by her fitting cubicle, however, he wasn't about to tell her the unabridged, brutally unvarnished truth. "Uh, Honey….this one looks a little cold for this time of year. I love the color, but I think you might need something a little warmer, okay? I'd like to see you model another one."

She hesitated for a few seconds, causing Justin to hold his breath for fear he had managed to upset her; he let out the breath he was holding, however, as she nodded and said, "Well, I only have one more left, Daddy. If that one doesn't work, I'll have to go find some more."

Justin nodded. "Okay, Honey, we'll see. Go try the other one on for us." As Issy nodded and turned around to re-enter the cubicle, Justin turned once more to Brian and said, "Keep it up, Kinney, and I'll have YOU take her to the hair salon for her spiral perm."

Brian frowned. "Her _what_?"

"Spiral perm – that's where they take her hair and wrap curlers around it so it comes out in a…..Oh, never mind," he finally decided in resignation, shaking his head. He knew there was no way Brian would agree to do that, no matter HOW much he should have to. The thought of Brian's elegantly-dressed, Armani-clad body even stepping foot inside a salon full of purple-tinted old ladies with Shirley-Temple style-curls and snippets of multi-colored hair lying helter-skelter all over the linoleum floor was enough to convince him of that.

Just then, their conversation was interrupted once more by their daughter stepping out wearing her third choice. This one was a simple but classically-appointed royal-blue dress that fell to just above her knees and curved her body as if it had been tailored just for her. The cap sleeves of the satiny dress were accented by a small, rectangular rhinestone clip and the squared neck of the dress was perfect for her heart-shaped face. The blue shade of the dress highlighted the color of her eyes perfectly, so much like Justin's, as she turned around to glimpse a view of the backside, which was puckered with a zipper that ran down the entire length of the garment. Apparently pleased with what she saw, she turned back around, her face aglow with joy and her eyes shining with excitement. Somehow, she knew this was the one. "Poppa? Daddy? What do you think?" she asked, anxious to see if they agreed with her assessment. "I really love this one."

By this time, most of the other teenage girls and their mothers had exited the shop, as the store was getting ready to close soon. But it didn't matter if they would have to leave soon or not. As Brian and Justin looked at each other, their faces mirrored each others' exactly; both knew their daughter was right – this was THE dress. She DID look like a real princess in her first gown. She was absolutely beautiful as she beamed at them with a radiant smile.

Brian cleared his throat, trying to swallow the hard lump that had abruptly appeared. "Isabella, you are absolutely stunning in that dress. That's the one, Princess," he tenderly responded as Justin nodded his agreement. "Now go get dressed, okay? As soon as you've changed, we'll go find you some matching shoes and a purse to go with it."

She jumped up with joy and uttered a short laugh of happiness before turning back around and heading back into the fitting stall, a decided bounce in her step now that the decision over which dress to buy had finally been made.

As she disappeared back into the stall, Justin turned to stare at his husband, noticing that this time he wasn't the only one with shiny-looking eyes. "Brian?" he asked softly.

He heard Brian sigh before he turned to stare into Justin's eyes and say, "You're right, Sunshine. She IS growing up."


	7. Who's More Nervous?

From his position on the parlor chair, Justin watched with amusement as Brian paced back in forth in front of the fireplace like some elegant, caged panther. "Will you please sit down?" he asked. "You're wearing out a hole in the rug."

Brian turned to glare at him. "How can you be so fucking calm?" he asked, as Justin took a sip of his coffee and placed the mug down on the small, oval wooden side table nearby.

The blond covered his mouth with his hand to disguise the smile that was threatening to break out all over his face as he said reasonably, "She's just going to a school dance, Brian, not to the Gulag."

Brian harrumphed as he placed his hands on his hips and turned to stare at his mate. "I've watched _Dirty Dancing_ dozens of times before – do you think they just do waltzes at those things?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Brian! This is a 13-year-old we're talking about who's going to a chaperoned dance at her school. She's got a good head on her shoulders – don't worry; she'll be just fine. I think you might be overreacting just a bit, _Dad_."

But Brian was not to be persuaded; this wasn't just some neighborhood kid they were talking about, this was _Issy_. Until she had come along, he never would have envisioned having another child besides Gus; it had taken him some time after his son's birth to even acknowledge he actually wanted to be in his life. But that was also before Justin, and before he found himself dreaming of what it might be like to have a miniature little Sunshine running around Britin with his husband's soft blond hair, crystal-blue eyes, and passionate, sweet soul. They had been blessed to have received all of that in one perfect little package, and now he couldn't imagine his life without either her or her biological father in it.

Brian sighed as he looked over at his husband. "Well, she's not leaving here until I give her date the once over," he declared.

Justin rolled his eyes. "Are you wanting to scare the guy off before they even leave the house?"

"If it means my daughter will be safe, why not?"

Justin smiled tenderly at his husband. He still found it amazing and just a little incredible how Brian had wound up being the more protective father. When Issy was born, Justin had been afraid he wouldn't have been able to let her out of his sight, and at first he had worried about every little cough she had, and every time she told them she had a tummy ache or a fever. Of course, he still worried about her but he had learned over time to let her tumble a little and make mistakes on her own. He thought in the long run it made her stronger and more independent.

Brian, on the other hand, was just the opposite – he worried when she didn't get home exactly on time from a friend's house. He worried about whether she was dressed warmly enough. He worried about whether she was receiving too much homework from her teachers at school. He worried about whether she was eating enough…And now he was worried about the geeky-looking guy that Issy was going to her first dance with.

At least Justin had already seen the boy – once. He had seen him at the mall in downtown Wheeling approximately two weeks ago when he had picked up their daughter after she and two of her girlfriends had watched the latest Harry Potter movie. He still wasn't sure if it had been a big coincidence that the boy in question, Logan McIntire, had just happened to choose the very same time and day to go to the movies with a couple of his friends as his daughter had, but he suspected it was more of a "planned" surprise.

Upon noticing him, Issy had reacted with a red face and a giggled whisper to one of her friends as the boy, a tall, gangly-looking kid with dark-brown hair and blue eyes with round wire spectacles, had shyly stolen glances back at her from the movie's lobby. In hindsight, he realized with a start that the boy could have been an almost perfect double for the actual actor who had played the lead role in the movie; perhaps that was part of the attraction, since Issy had long been a big Harry Potter fan.

As Brian leaned against the fireplace and rubbed his hand through his hair nervously, Justin rose from the overstuffed, antique chair he was sitting in and walked over to place one of his hands on the bronze cheek in sympathy. "She's going to be just fine, _Dad_," he whispered reassuringly. "After all, she's my biological daughter, remember?"

Brian looked up to meet the blond's gaze. "I know – it's silly," he actually admitted a little sheepishly as he reached up to grip Justin's hand and clasp it to his chest as Justin fell naturally into his embrace. "But it's our little girl and it's a crazy, fucked-up world out there, Justin. I just want her to be safe."

Justin's mouth twisted in fond recollection. "I seem to remember you saying the same thing to me several years ago, but it didn't prevent the real world from crashing in, though."

Brian raised Justin's hand to his lips and gave the long, slender fingers a kiss on the knuckles just like some ancient nobleman before he once more cradled the hand against his chest. "Don't remind me," he whispered softly, thinking briefly about another, very painful time in their lives. "It didn't keep me from worrying about _you_, either."

_Touché, Brian_, Justin thought as he gazed at his partner with a wistful smile. "No, I guess it didn't," he replied. "But you can't keep her in a bubble forever, Brian. She has to experience the big, bad world sometime."

"Well, maybe, but not without me watching over her every step of the way," Brian said determinedly. "…..At least until she's thirty." He looked over at Justin and curled his lips under facetiously, knowing he was being a little ridiculous as well as unrealistic. "Then she can branch out on her own."

Justin linked his arms around Brian's neck as he gazed up into the still-worried hazel eyes. "It'll be all right, Brian. His mother will take them there and we'll be picking them up, and they'll be chaperones all over the place during the dance." He played with the soft hair at the back of the brunet's neck as he whispered, "Look on the bright side. While she's gone, we'll have a few hours to ourselves for a change. Think we can come up with some entertainment of our own while she's gone?"

At last Brian grinned and his eyes lit up a little at the thought. "Mmmm…I think maybe we can _come up_ with something…" He placed his own hands around Justin's waist and pulled him closer to bestow a deep kiss on the pink lips he knew so well before he heard their daughter's dress shoes clacking on the staircase and reluctantly broke apart. Before Issy was able to reach the parlor, Brian whispered, "Remind me when we go upstairs to put Petey's cover over his cage, or he might learn some new vocabulary words later."

Justin grinned as the two men turned at the sound of a voice saying from the doorway, "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of royalty." Emmett stood there beaming like a proud peacock as Issy appeared from the side of the door's entrance and stood under the threshold for her fathers' inspection.

Brian and Justin found themselves wearing identical, stunned expressions on their faces as they gazed at the vision in front of them: Issy was wearing her royal-blue, rhinestone-adorned dress from the Orbit Shop, along with a pair of delicate, drop earrings of gold and turquoise. Around her neck was the gold chain and locket her fathers had gifted her with on her 9th birthday; a matching rhinestone and turquoise bracelet surrounded her slender wrist as she smiled back at them radiantly and spun around so her fathers could see the complete ensemble. Her gold evening bag hanging over her shoulder swung along with her as she twirled like a graceful dancer. Emmett had completed her look by applying a natural-looking foundation and blush to accentuate her pale complexion and had swept her normally-tousled hair up into an elegant chignon with just a few tendrils hanging down to make it appear less formal-looking. A tortoise-shell clip helped to hold her thick, blond hair in place on the back of her head.

"What do you think, Daddy...Poppa? Do you like it? Didn't Emmett do a wonderful job on my hair and makeup?" she said excitedly; she bit her lip a little nervously as she waited for her fathers to answer her.

Emmett looked at the expression on his two friends' faces and smiled; he knew she really didn't need an answer to her question. Their mouths were hanging open in amazement while Em could swear both men were tearing up as well. As he studied Brian in particular, it occured to him that a little, blonde-haired girl had managed to do what no man (besides Justin) had ever done before - bring Brian Kinney to tears.

Brian stared agape at his daughter, and just like in the store a few days earlier, he realized his little girl wasn't so little any more. The thought both unnerved him and scared the shit out of him; would there come a day when Issy didn't need him anymore? He refused to even entertain that thought as he finally found his voice enough to murmur, "Princess…you look absolutely beautiful."

Justin smiled back at her and nodded. "You sure do, Honey," he whispered. He looked over at Emmett and said, "Em, Lady Godiva would be proud." Issy gave her father a quizzical look. "I'll explain it to you some other day," her father told her as Emmett smiled back at him in response to his compliment.

"Well, we'll just have to get some pictures for this historic occasion," Em suddenly decided as he reached inside his lightweight, black and purple jacket to retrieve a small digital camera. "Go stand next to your daddies, Precious, and let's take your picture before the beau gets here."

Issy smiled as he walked over to stand between her two fathers and they both wrapped one arm around her protectively. Brian pasted on his best smile as Emmett took a shot of the three of them together, and then separate ones of him and Justin with Issy and then, finally, one with her alone. As he watched Emmett taking the photo of Issy by herself, though, Brian's smile faded somewhat as he worried once more that his daughter was fast outgrowing him. For the first time in a long time, he actually began to reflect nostalgically about the time when she was constantly throwing his car keys in the toilet; this time, the incidents didn't seem like such a nuisance any longer, and even though it had been almost 12 years ago now, he could remember the time like it was yesterday. Where had all the years gone?

As if sensing his thoughts, Justin wound his arm quietly around Brian's waist and gave it a subtle squeeze as Issy smiled back warmly into the camera; her blue eyes shone with happiness as Justin turned to gaze at the pensive face of his husband and he momentarily leaned his head against the brunet's shoulder. Brian sighed softly as he wound his own arm around Justin's slender waist in return. Neither man spoke at that moment, but they didn't have to - they instinctively knew what each other was thinking.

The sound of the doorbell shattered the relative silence as Issy cried out, "I'll get it!" and she ran toward the front door to answer it. Justin and Brian heard the door being opened and a male voice saying shyly, "Hi, Issy."

"Hi, Logan!" Issy chirped back brightly; her normal shyness around this boy apparently was overcome at the moment by how excited she was at the thought of attending her first official school dance.

"Hi, Issy," they heard a woman's voice saying cheerfully, "I'm Logan's mom; I'm so glad to finally meet you - aren't you just the prettiest thing?" she said softly as the little girl smiled back at her. "Uh…are your parents here?" The petite, red-headed woman's mouth had fallen open at the sight of the imposing, Tudor-style brick home she had viewed as she and her son had entered the iron gate out front; when Logan had gotten her address, she had had no idea what sort of home her son's first date lived in. She hadn't really had any particular, pre-conceived notion as to what to expect, but _this_ - this was more like a small city than a typical residence.

As they followed the young girl down the hallway, her gaze swept upward to the dark, polished wooden staircase and massive, high walls surrounding the room that were adorned with paintings of all types and styles and she shook her head in amazement. Whoever Issy's parents were, they obviously were very affluent to afford the sort of environment she was living in. "They're in here," Issy told them politely as she steered them toward the second door on the left. The woman lowered her gaze as she lay her hand lightly on her son's shoulder and followed the blonde into the indicated room.

She stopped, a little taken aback, at the rather tall, flashy-looking brunet man standing just inside the doorway as he peered at her intently; he was wearing a purple and silver Mylar jacket, a silver-sequined rounded-collar top, and black leather, shiny pants. He smiled at her broadly and nodded as she slowly walked into the room and looked around. The room was furnished with two, dark-brown overstuffed leather chairs and a matching sofa with rounded arms; the group of furniture was facing an imposing, stone fireplace that currently had a blazing fire burning inside. Two other men, one handsome and dark-haired with a toned body and chiseled features, was leaning against one side of the mantel, while the other man, a more slender blond was leaning against the other end as they both stared at her curiously. Oddly, she did not see a woman in the room at all.

Issy took Logan by the sleeve and said in her most grownup hostess voice, "Come and sit down for a minute, Logan. Can I get you something to drink?" Logan shyly allowed Issy to lead him over to the two leather chairs as he sat down in the nearest one under the penetrating scrutiny of the two men by the fireplace and shook his head at her mutely, his eyes wide and apprehensive as he averted his gaze and stared at the floor.

His mother smiled a little uncomfortably at the two men by the fireplace as she stood there and said by way of explanation, "Uh…..I'm Rebecca McIntire, Logan's mother. And which one of you is Issy's father?" She stole a quick look over at the flamboyant-looking man by the doorway and silently hoped that the answer wouldn't be _that_ man as she waited expectantly for a response.

_Oh, boy,_ Justin thought just a little nervously. Of all the issues they were afraid both Issy and they would have to face today, he hadn't even considered this potential problem; silently he prayed for their daughter's sake that this woman would not turn out to be some homophobic, ignorant human being.

He glanced at Brian briefly; his husband nodded at him for encouragement as he took a deep breath in preparation. _Here goes nothing…._

"Actually, Mrs. McIntire, we _both_ are." At her look of mystification, he added softly by way of explanation, "I'm Justin Taylor-Kinney and this is my _husband_, Brian Kinney." He waited for her reaction as he saw a myriad of expressions flash through her face: stunned surprise, disbelief, confusion, along with some other reactions he couldn't quite decipher.

She frowned in puzzlement as she looked from one man to the other. "You….._both_ are? I don't understand."

Brian couldn't help glaring at her; was the woman obtuse or just stupid? If she so much as uttered one syllable of bigotry or hate in front of their daughter about their "immoral" lifestyle, she - and her son - would be out the door on their asses faster than a nun mistakenly answering a casting call for a porno flick.

"Oh," she said finally.

"Oh?" Brian answered as he raised his eyebrows in a silent challenge.

"Brian," Justin whispered just loud enough for his husband to hear. He knew Brian would understand what he was saying just in that word pf caution - _be careful; don't jump the gun just yet_, for their daughter's sake. He also knew, though, that Brian would realize that he was ready and quite willing in a heartbeat to defend both their lifestyle as well as their daughter if the need arose.

Logan's mother smiled awkwardly as she divided her gaze between both men. "I'm sorry…..you just surprised me, that's all," she explained. "I was expecting a mother and a father," she admitted as she licked her lips a little nervously.

Justin looked over at his daughter, who had grown silent during their conversation. He knew Issy well enough to know she was both anxious as well as worried about what the woman would think of their unconventional family. They had been very straightforward with her about their relationship and had explained as soon as she was old enough to understand how she had entered into their lives, and how blessed they had been to have her as their daughter. Issy had long ago accepted the arrangement as completely normal, and had always been a happy, contented child. They had also explained to her that she would unfortunately meet others, however, that did not understand or condone their arrangement. He only hoped that this would not be one of those times, but he also knew, as he had reminded Brian, that she could not live in an idyllic bubble forever, either.

"Does that bother you?" Justin finally asked the $64,000 question as he waited with trepidation for her response. He could sense Brian's simmering resentment even from a few feet away as he waited for her to answer.

To his enormous relief, as well as that of Brian, Emmett, and their daughter, she shook her head. "No," she said sincerely. "I admit I certainly wasn't expecting it, but nowadays having both a father and mother doesn't mean you automatically have a loving, nurturing family unit - sometimes, unfortunately, it's quite the opposite. Believe me, I know of what I speak," she elaborated. "I'm a child psychologist at the hospital in Wheeling and I see evidence of it all the time."

She studied her surroundings, noticing several photos of the two men and Issy resting on top of the grand piano in a corner of the room before her gaze settled on an oil-based portrait of Issy hanging prominently between the two men over the fireplace mantel. "That's a lovely painting of your daughter," she observed with a smile; the portrait of Issy showed her sitting on the ground in what appeared to be a wildflower meadow as she held a large daisy in her hand. She was wearing a white, flowing dress with a jaunty-type, white beret on her head as she smiled back softly; her blue eyes were mesmerizing in their intensity as the sky above her was awash in shades of pale pink, blue and purple.

Brian at last smiled at her. "Yes, it is," he told her proudly, looking over at his husband fondly. "Justin painted it a few years ago."

Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, my God - of _course_! Justin Taylor-Kinney! I _know_ your work! The hospital auctioned off a couple of your paintings last year for AIDS research! They were _wonderful_!" she gushed.

Justin smiled humbly. "Thank you," he answered softly. I was just glad I could help."

Feeling a lot better about the situation now, his body flooded with relief for his daughter as he glanced over at the mantel clock and noticed the time. "Uh…the dance starts at 7:00 and it's over at 10:00?" he asked politely.

Rebecca rose quickly from her feet as she noticed it was nearing 6:30. "Oh, we'd better go, or we'll be late," she told them, taking the hint. "You two ready to go?" she asked her son and Issy.

"Yeah, Mom," Logan answered her as he stood up quickly, glad that everything seemed to be okay now. Even though he couldn't quite bring himself to tell his date for the evening, he really liked Issy and thought she was not only beautiful, but also smart and funny. She had already advised him about her rather unusual living arrangement, and he couldn't care less; he was just glad that they were going to be able to go to the dance just like they had planned. Truthfully, he wasn't quite looking forward to the ride home, however, because something told him he may just be in for a grilling, especially from the dark-haired man, but he knew that was the price he would have to pay for their daughter's company.

Issy smiled, glad as well that everything was working out. She knew that Logan had been cool with her having two fathers, but she couldn't have known how his mother would react until tonight. As much as she liked Logan, she would have never agreed to go with him to the dance if his mother had said one bad thing about either one of her fathers. Now that it appeared his mother was okay with it, she was once more eagerly looking forward to her first dance.

As she stood up to get ready to leave, Brian tried to resign himself to his girl little turning around and leaving without any obvious show of affection; after all, she was a teenager now and it just wasn't very grown-up to show overt PDAs to a parent, especially in front of your date. He watched as Issy stood up to follow Logan and his mother toward the doorway when she stopped suddenly and, turning around to face him and Justin, rushed over to hug his neck, just like she always did in the morning when she left for school and when she went to bed at night. As she nuzzled the slight stubble of her father's cheek and inhaled the familiar scent of Brian's cologne, her eyes glistened as she pulled back from him slightly and he smiled at her. "Goodbye, Daddy," she whispered in his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too, Baby," he answered softly, just loud enough for only her and Justin to hear.

As he let go of her rather reluctantly, she turned and repeated the same embrace with her other father. Justin squeezed her to his chest firmly for a few seconds as if he never wanted to let her go, but he knew he must; as he finally loosened his hold on her to gaze into the blue eyes so like his own, she repeated the same endearment to him as well. "I love you, Poppa. I'll see you at 10."

Justin sniffled, unable to control the swell of emotions churning inside him. He knew Brian was feeling the exact same thing, but he was a little more capable of keeping them hidden better. "You have a wonderful time, Honey," he said, smiling at her warmly. "You look even _more_ beautiful than a princess."

She smiled their mutual, radiant smile back at him before he finally released her and, flashing the same smile at Brian, she finally turned to walk toward her date and his mother.

"I'll take really good care of her," Rebecca promised, smiling. "And I'll look for her and Logan to be back home around 10:30?"

Brian and Justin nodded. "Yeah, we'll pick them up right at 10:00, so you two be ready by the front door, okay?" Brian told his daughter, who nodded back at him in understanding.

"Bye, Daddy!"she called out just before she turned to go. "Bye, Poppa!" She stopped one more time to give Emmett a short hug and say "thank you" before she hurried excitedly behind Logan and his mother toward the front door. A few seconds later, the three men heard the soft closing of the heavy, wooden door and silence once more invaded the room; only the still-blazing flickers of the crackling flames in the stone fireplace could be heard as the three stared at each other silently.

Emmett departed a few minutes later after Justin had profusely thanked him for transforming their daughter into such a beautiful young lady, and as they sat on the rug in front of the fireplace, their backs leaning against the leather sofa, at last the two men were left alone with their thoughts.

"She looked so beautiful…..and so grown up," Justin said wistfully as he softly stroked Brian's hand and stared into the flames pensively. "It scares me sometimes," he admitted.

Brian glanced over at him. "You? It fucking _terrifies_ me. Where did the past 13 years go, Sunshine?" he asked. "It seems like just yesterday I was retrieving key fob number eight out of the toilet and now she's going on a fucking _date_." He looked down at their clasped hands; he still _felt _the same and to him, Justin looked as youthful and beautiful as always, so why did their daughter look so grownup all of a sudden? Perhaps it really was true that time went by a lot faster as you got older. He found to his surprise, though, that while he almost grieved for the time that had passed when his daughter was concerned, at the same time he didn't long for his own days of youth anymore. He wouldn't take back any of the past thirteen years with either his daughter or this incredible man beside him for any regained fountain of youth.

Justin twisted his lips thoughtfully; their life with Issy had seemed to have flashed by in a heartbeat. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "It's hard to believe I have a child now that's old enough to go on a date." He smiled. "I was only four years older when I met you, you know."

Brian winced as his grip on Justin's hand tightened almost imperceptibly. "Don't remind me," he warned him. "I already told you I'm scare shitless just by the thought of her being on a date - I don't even want to think about sex."

Justin laughed. "I never ever thought I would hear you say that in my lifetime," he teased, as he noticed a grin appearing on the brunet's face as he realized the irony. "Boy, we _have _come a long way."

Brian turned to face him. "We haven't _come_ nearly _long _enough," he said huskily, leaning over to give Justin a brief but thorough kiss. "As much as I love our daughter, I suggest we not miss out on one moment of her temporary absence and start getting reacquainted with the wonders of our Jacuzzi out on the back patio."

Justin grinned. "Good idea, Mr. Kinney - are swimsuits optional?"

Brian smiled back at his husband in mock disbelief. "Do you really have to ask?" he huskily answered, waggling his eyebrows as he curled his lips under. He stood up to pull Justin to his feet before taking him in his arms and saying, "I'll race you - first one there gets the first blow job."


	8. A Little Visitor Comes A'Calling

"Just leave me alone, Poppa!"

Coming in through the attached garage door, Brian placed his briefcase down on the nearby kitchen counter and jumped slightly as he heard his daughter's distressed voice and a door slam immediately afterward. _What in the…..? _Up until a few months ago that kind of behavior was so unlike their daughter, whose normally sunny disposition usually matched the beaming smile she always seemed to have on her face, that he momentarily thought it must be some neighbor's kid spending the night with them instead.

He loosened the constrictive tie around his neck and shrugged off his coat to place it over the back of a nearby bar stool chair before walking toward the hallway and encountering his flustered-looking husband who was holding a plastic grocery bag in his hand; he peered into the troubled, blue eyes and opened his arms in invitation as Justin silently melted into his embrace. Brian frowned as he wrapped the slender body into a firm hug and Justin burrowed his head into his chest and wound his arms tightly around his husband. "Hey, what's going on?" Brian asked softly, placing his head on top of the blond hair. He held onto him for a few seconds before he heard Justin take a calming breath and slowly pull back from him.

He placed his hands on Justin's upper arms and gazed intently into his eyes. "Justin?" He noticed there were fine lines of tiredness around his eyes and his normal, pale complexion was slightly darker than usual – both were signs that some sort of problem was currently festering between father and daughter.

His husband broke away from his hold and stood in front of him before stating somewhat wearily, "Someone's in a foul mood at the moment, and it's not Petey, either."

Brian curled his lips under in amusement. "Yeah….I sort of got that impression already. What is she so upset about this time? Did she and Jill have another spat?" He had no idea if it was hormone-related or not, but lately it seemed like every little thing was a major drama issue with Issy – her hair out of place, her friends not calling her often enough, a pimple popping unexpectedly; even Petey was starting to be affected – to Brian's consternation, he had recently acquired some new words to add to his ever-increasing vocabulary list – "Get real" and "no way" among them. Fortunately, Issy had yet to attain some more _colorful_ language to add to her speech, not that either man hadn't heard them all before.

Justin shook his head. "No, but she _did_ get an unexpected and not-so-welcome visit from a friend today," he said somewhat mysteriously.

Brian raised his eyebrows questioningly. "An unwelcome visitor? We already had a visit from the Mormons last month." Since they had moved into Britin – and especially since their daughter had come along – it seemed like every month Justin answered the door during the day to encounter some sort of group either wanting to sell Girl Scout cookies, sign a petition, or convert them. Brian actually found it quite amusing, since he never had to deal with any of them while he was at work, but Justin was constantly griping about being interrupted, invariably while he was trying to finish up an art project on consignment.

"Not quite," the blond replied. "You might say it was _another_ kind of religious experience, or maybe more of a rite of passage." He blew some breath out between his lips. "Let's go sit down in the study, okay? I think I could use a drink at the moment."

Brian smiled back at him as they walked a little farther down the hall and into the study. With late spring arriving, it had been too warm to keep a fire going, even though it was one of Justin's favorite features about the house. Perhaps it was due more to a nostalgic and romantic reflection – this room having been the first one he had seen and the one in which Brian had proposed to him – but he still thought having a fire going made the room more inviting and less cold. Brian motioned for Justin to sit down on the deep brown, leather sofa before walking over to the oak bar set up against the side wall. Pouring two shots of Beam, he carried them back over and handed one to his husband. He watched Justin swallow the amber liquid in one gulp before he asked curiously, "Okay, so who was her visitor today, then?"

Justin placed the glass down on the side table before reaching into the plastic grocery bag and pulling out a thin, pink cardboard box. "Well, I'll give you a hint."

He held the box in his hand as Brian's eyes widened a little in recognition; that explained a lot. "Well, I'm not into pussy as you well know, but even _I_ know what that is; is this why she's been so moody lately?" he ventured.

Justin nodded. "I'm sure it is." He grimaced. "I never thought I would have to go through this sort of thing again after Molly experienced it. I think she was only 11 back then, but it was like some spawn of Hell had been unleashed, at least for the first six months. You would have thought the world was coming to an end." He gazed into Brian's slightly-amused eyes; the brunet was trying hard not to smile at Justin's distress, but he could still tell that Brian was no doubt relieved that _he_ wasn't the one having to deal with her sudden onslaught of adolescent angst. "Take it from me, Brian – Molly didn't fall for that _you're becoming a woman now_ speech and neither did Issy. When I explained it to her and what she would have to endure – _her_ word, not mine – she said it was gross and disgusting and she hated the idea."

Brian _did_ issue a soft guffaw at that last statement as Justin glared back at him. "As if she has a choice in the matter; I guess I won't be expecting her to rush down here tonight for my welcome home hug and kiss." He peered over at Justin sympathetically to tease, "I guess you'll just have to pinch hit for her instead."

"Brian!" Justin chided him in irritation, clearly not amused. "I could use a little _help_ here! She thinks this is going to scar her for life now! She's totally queening out on me – that's why _you_ need to step in and reassure her that it's perfectly normal to feel the way she does and it will become second nature to her before long."

"Me?" Brian looked at him in shock as he quickly took a sip of his booze; something told him HE was going to need it now. "Why me?"

"Because when it comes to queening out over Issy, you're the champion. Don't try and deny it, either," he added in warning as Brian opened his mouth to issue a retort but then promptly closed it. "You know you're the real worrywart when it comes to her. I need you to go up there and tell her that what she's feeling is normal and that this is a good thing – in a weird sort of way."

Brian sighed now, feeling like that type of command was a responsibility worse than death. "Justin…..you're the one who's been exposed before to that sort of situation – what would I able be able to do?"

"Didn't Claire ever have some sort of tantrum about _her _getting her period?"

Brian snorted. "If she did, I just blew it off as one more tirade in a whole life of them – I wouldn't have noticed the difference even if she_ had_." He shrugged. "Besides, that was my mother the ice queen's job; if anyone could have taught her about her _responsibilities_ to her husband and the proper etiquette for a _lady_, it would have been her," he commented scornfully.

Justin took a breath before he plunged ahead with the next part – that last statement that Brian made only reminded him of _another_ reason why Brian would be the best person to speak to their daughter. "Well, maybe so, but there's another reason why I need for you to talk to her – now that's she's getting her period, it's high time you counsel her on how she needs to protect herself."

Brian looked aghast. "Uh….excuse me? Are you saying what I _think_ you're saying?"

Justin pursed his lips together tightly and huffed out an exasperated breath of air. "Brian – she's a beautiful girl – even if I _am_ just a little prejudiced – and she needs to know how to keep herself safe."

Brian shook his head slightly. "Justin…we're not living in the Stone Age here! Don't you think she's already gotten more than enough information from her friends, not to mention the internet? I mean, I'm sure she could even get a demonstration online if she wanted to!"

Justin answered in disgust, "She'd better _not_! I don't want any daughter of _ours_ finding out how to 'do it' online _or_ through her friends, no matter how well-intentioned!" They had taken whatever precautions they could in the house to tailor just what sort of websites Issy could visit, and her computer was set up outside her bedroom in a small alcove off to the right of the hall just down the way from her door so they could monitor her surfing activities more closely, not to mention they had insisted on knowing all her passwords for her social networking accounts, but even Justin wasn't so naïve as to think their daughter still didn't pick up other pieces of well-meaning information from her friends or other computers from time to time. But he figured, who better to teach her about precautions and the birds and the bees than his husband, the now former stud of gay society? Whether it was gay or hetero, when it came to sex, he figured his husband knew everything she would need to know.

Brian stood up and walked over to the fireplace and placed one hand on the mantle to stare into the ashes as he tried to think. Why _him_? Justin was the sensitive, emotional one; wouldn't it make more sense for _him_ to have this little heart-to-heart chat? What did _he_ know about little girls and their vulnerabilities? As he stood there, an ironic thought occurred to him. _Now_ he was worried about these sorts of things, he thought ruefully, thinking it was just a little late now to second guess his and Justin's idea about having a child in the first place.

He finally turned to stare back at his husband. "I don't know, Sunshine," he said, admitting, "What do I know about teenage girls?"

Justin slowly stood up to walk over to the brunet. "That makes two of us, Brian," he responded softly, reaching up to place his hand against Brian's cheek. "No one has an owner's manual when it comes to raising a child." He dropped his hand to his side and smiled a little as he added, "I happen to think we're doing a pretty damn good job of it, though. She's a great kid, Brian; even when she_ does_ queen out – like someone else I know."

Brian twisted his mouth but couldn't hide the slight smile that sprang to his lips as he said, "She _is_ a good kid, Justin. But…..Shit, how do I even bring the subject up? _Hi, Honey, Daddy needs to talk to you about sex – don't have it until you're thirty_. Somehow I don't think that'll go over too well with her."

Justin laughed. "I don't think that's the most effective approach." He leaned in to nuzzle the brunet's nose, Eskimo-style, and began to pull back just before Brian decided to take advantage of their position. He reached his hand behind Justin's neck and pulled him closer; he could feel Justin's soft pants of breaths on his face as he gazed into the blue eyes.

"Well, maybe so," he conceded grudgingly. "Guess I'll just have to do a little more research on the matter, then, before I try and tackle the subject with her," he added huskily as he pulled Justin in for a kiss. It started out as a gentle touching of their mouths, but as usual it quickly escalated into a deeper action as Brian's tongue pressed against the soft, plump lips for a second before Justin sighed and willingly open his mouth to allow him entrance. Both men instinctively took a breath before they dove in even longer, lips locked and tongues dueling for several seconds as their hands wandered over each other's back in their familiar journey.

A couple of minutes later, Brian pulled back to gaze at the softly intense eyes and the swollen, thoroughly-kissed lips and placed their foreheads together for a second as he whispered in resignation, "Okay….I guess that's enough _research_ for now. I'll go up and try to talk some sense into her."

Justin smiled gratefully before giving the cranberry-colored lips one more, quick kiss. "Good. I'm sure you can handle it, Dad."

Brian briefly ruffled Justin's hair at the back of his neck and replied, "I hope so." He somewhat reluctantly moved his hand away and turned to go.

Justin nodded. "Well, while you're having your little tete-a-tete, I'll go get dinner ready. Give me about an hour."

"No problem – something tells me I'm going to need it," Brian told him as he walked over to the doorway. He turned just before he left to add, "Of course, you realize if she doesn't see reason, I'm fully prepared to just lock her in her room until she's thirty, you understand."

Justin chuckled. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that; she's got her own bathroom, but we may have to put a slot in the door like they do to feed prisoners with if you don't succeed."

"Don't tempt me," Brian muttered just before he left.

Justin smiled as he walked into the kitchen, feeling a little more optimistic than he had an hour ago. If anyone could cheer their daughter up, it was Brian. All the same, he wasn't sure if he envied him his task or not. "Good Luck, Dad," he whispered. "I think you're going to need it, too."

* * *

"Go away," was the instant comeback as soon as Brian knocked on their daughter's door.

He took a deep breath and let it out before responding, "It's Daddy, Issy. I need to talk to you – can I come in?" He and his daughter both knew he could get in her room if he really wanted to; after all, he and Justin had a master key to all the rooms at Britin, but he also knew how important privacy was to a teenage girl, especially one who was having a major queen out. "Come on, Issy," he cajoled through the door. "Please open up, Princess. I just want to talk to you for a little while." He could hear Petey whistling loudly a couple of times, followed by Issy scolding him for being too boisterous. Now he _knew_ she had to be upset, because she never took her difficulties out on her beloved pet.

He waited anxiously for several seconds while he contemplated bringing his most effective weapon out – not the one he would show to Justin, mind you – but something much more potent when it came to their daughter: his no-nonsense, don't fuck with me voice. He very rarely resorted to it, since his daughter pretty much had him wrapped around her slender, pale finger most of the time, but he also knew that she was aware that when he spoke to her with that certain tone of voice that he meant business and she'd better follow his instructions.

"Isabella…." His daughter's formal name died on his lips as he noticed the door slowly opening and he was able to gaze at his daughter; his heart broke inside at her flushed, tear-stained face as she wiped the moisture off her cheeks in embarrassment and turned to walk back over to her white, wooden canopy bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress with her back toward the headboard.

Brian sighed as he slowly walked in; his daughter obviously wasn't going to make this easy on him, but at least she had opened the door. He couldn't help gazing sympathetically over at his daughter's stooped shoulders as she placed her hands in her lap and stared over at the oval, pink, white and green mirror on the nearby wall. He could tell she wasn't really focusing on anything in particular, but he could only imagine what sort of tumultuous thoughts were currently swirling within her adolescent, hormone-driven brain as he slowly walked over and gingerly sat down next to her on the bed.

He couldn't help thinking as he sat there, listening to his daughter's sniffling, that he was definitely out of his element here; he could persuade practically anyone that he was an advertising genius when it came to business – no matter what it might be – but when it came to this beautiful teenage girl, he was at a loss as to exactly what to say.

He finally decided on the straightforward approach. "Your Poppa told me what happened today," he began. "How are you feeling?"

"That's great," she mumbled in aggravation, refusing to look her father in the eye. "I _knew_ he would tell you!"

"Honey, he's your father…and we don't hide things from each other, you know that."

She finally turned to look Brian in the eyes, her eyes bright with additional tears as she said, "How do you _think_ I feel, Daddy? I feel like a bloated whale and my stomach is killing me! Why does this have to happen _now_? I'm supposed to go canoeing with Jill this weekend!"

Brian gazed at her affectionately; he didn't pretend to understand why all this was causing her so much angst – after all, he had barely had a chance to experience what it felt like to be a teenage boy in the dysfunctional household he grew up in – but that still didn't mean when his daughter hurt, he didn't hurt, also. "You'll still be able to go, Honey."

"But that's only day after tomorrow!" she pointed out. "Poppa said these things normally take about five days and it's each month – it's so gross," she declared in distaste as she scrunched up her face. "I have to face this for the rest of my life?"

Brian squeezed his lips shut and turned around slightly so his daughter didn't see the smile threatening to break out on his face; if she saw that, he knew she would have a major temper tantrum right in front of him. He turned back to look at her as soon as he could plaster a more solemn expression on his face and said, "You'll get used to it, Issy. Every little girl has to go through it; it's part of growing up."

"Well, if they do I'd just as soon skip it!" she fumed. "Can't they do some type of operation or give me some medication for it or something?"

"Issy," Brian gently chided her as he reached over to tenderly place a strand of errant blond hair behind her ear. "You don't mean that, Princess. A few months from now, it won't seem nearly as bad. You will get used to, believe me."

She folded her arms over her chest and harrumphed. "Yeah – like having a stomach ache every month. Daddy said I might get cramps each time this happens! I hate this!" she declared, biting her lip as her clear blue eyes flashed in irritation.

_You are so going to owe me for this, Sunshine_, Brian couldn't help thinking as he furiously sought to think fast on his feet. "Well, there's medicine you can take for the cramps if it gets too bad," he softly reassured her. "Honey, it'll be okay, trust me."

"It's not like _you_ ever had to go through something like this," she pointed out.

"No," Brian told her honestly. "I didn't. But that doesn't mean I never had to go through some tough times when I was growing up." He forced himself not to focus on how hard it had been to live in the strict, callous world of Jack and Joan Kinney, however painful it had been; it was more important at the moment that he concentrate on his daughter instead.

"You did?" she asked him softly, her voice full of concern as she quickly redirected her attention to him. Her father had never really confided in her about what kind of childhood he had had. She had tried once to ask Poppa about it, but he had only told her that it was too painful for her other father to talk about and that had been the end of their discussion. It surprised her, then, to hear her father actually speaking aloud about it now.

Brian smiled at her softly. "Yeah," he admitted, his hazel eyes shining with love for this fretful little girl – no, that wasn't right, he had to admit it to himself; she was a young woman now – who so reminded him of Justin. "It's…..not really important now, Issy. What _is_ important is that we have each other – you, me and your Poppa, and that we all love each other very much. We're our own family now, and that makes me very happy, Sweetheart, happier than you will probably ever know. And that also means that we can get through anything as long as we're together, okay?"

She gazed into her father's beautiful hazel eyes that were shining back at her with so much love and realized that perhaps this wasn't such a major catastrophe after all. If her father told her everything would work out, then he must be right, because she _was_ sure of one thing – both of her fathers loved her very much and she knew she could always count on that.

She finally smiled at him and whispered, "Okay, Daddy," before impulsively throwing her arms around him and giving him a tight hug as she wound her arms around his neck. She felt her father giving her a tight squeeze around her waist in return and heard him give a small grunt before he released her to gaze into her eyes.

"Good," he told her. "I was afraid I wasn't going to get my welcome home hug and kiss tonight for a while," he teased her, earning him a slight smile in return. "Before we go down to dinner, though, there's something else I need to talk to you about, Honey."

She frowned, thinking their conversation had been finished. "What, Daddy?" she asked. She noticed her father fidgeting as if he were actually uneasy about something; she wasn't used to him ever looking that way and it frightened her just a little. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Sweetheart," he reassured her as he pushed his hand through his hair nervously. "It's just that, well, since you got your…your _period_….there's something else we need to discuss." He couldn't help thinking how in the hell Justin had ever talked him into broaching this topic with their daughter, but it was too late to back out now.

Issy stared at her father intently, wondering why he was so anxious. What could it be? "What, Daddy?" she repeated.

"Well, Honey, now that this has happened….that also means that you can become pregnant." There, he managed to get that out at least...

Issy smiled at her father, understanding now why he seemed so uncomfortable. "Daaaaaaad," she practically whined in embarrassment. "You're not going to give me a lecture about the birds and the bees, are you?" she asked, putting emphasis on the last part to make it sound almost like a dirty word.

Brian quirked an eyebrow at his daughter in part amusement and part relief. "Well…..something like that," he admitted with a smile. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Daddy! You don't think I know how babies are made? We had sex education in fifth grade, remember? _This_ is what you wanted to talk to me about? Get real, Daddy!" she chided him.

"Awk! Get Real, get real!" came the immediate refrain from the dresser.

"You stay out of this, birdbrain!" Brian snapped at Petey. "I don't need your help here!" He turned to gaze back at his daughter and he couldn't help grinning a little at her look of amusement. "Okay," he said a little sheepishly as he lowered his voice and pointed his index finger at her. "So you already know how babies are made. But I'm still not done with you, young lady."

_Young lady._ If Issy didn't love her father so much, and if she hadn't noticed how serious he looked about this conversation, she would have been offended at the cutesy moniker. But to her credit, she remained stoic as she replied, "Okay, Daddy….what do you want to talk about, then?"

Brian let out a breath before beginning. "Well, since you can become pregnant now, you need to be careful."

"Careful?"

_You're going to make me work for this, aren't you, Issy? Just like someone ELSE I know…._ "Yes, careful. As in your relationships with boys."

"Daaaaaad….."

"Hear me out, Issy. I know I'm your father, and every parent thinks their child is special." He didn't voice aloud the thought that followed that – every parent except _mine_, that is. "But you're a beautiful young lady and boys are going to be interested in you. They're _already_ interested in you." He recalled Logan calling her repeatedly after they had gone to their school dance together; at the time, Issy quickly lost interest in the gawky brunet afterward, but since then there had been other boys who had called the house, asking to speak with her. So far, he and Justin had allowed her to go on group dates only – mainly to the movies in town – but he knew in the not so distant future that would change.

Issy blushed at her father's words. "Daddy….."

"Let me finish, Honey," he insisted. "I know you're going to be attracted to boys and they're going to be attracted to you. I just want you to be careful. You're very intelligent and independent, but you're also very sensitive and compassionate." He smiled a little. "You no doubt get that from your Poppa. But that also makes you vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?" She wasn't quite sure what that meant.

"Yeah," Brian explained. "Sometimes you're too kind for your own good. I'm afraid one of these days some sweet-talking boy will come along and you'll be tempted to…..well, you know…have a _relationship_ with him." God, how did he wind up having to discuss this with their daughter? He had never felt so clumsy and awkward in his entire life. He made a mental note once more to make sure his husband compensated him properly for this assignment as he sighed and looked back into his daughter's eyes.

"A relationship? You mean having sex with him?" she asked calmly.

"Yes, Issy!" he answered a little testily as he ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Of _course_ that's what I'm talking about!"

She huffed, "Daddy, I already know all about that! I'm not going to just jump into bed with a boy on the first date!"

Brian looked at her aghast. "Well, I would certainly _hope_ not, Isabella! It can be a scary world out there…..you have to protect yourself against all sorts of things! You need to develop a strong, committed relationship with a boy before you even consider that step. And if you do – and don't be thinking either your Poppa or I will even approve of you dating anyone alone until you're at least sixteen – you will not only make sure the boy wears a condom but you will be on birth control pills, do you understand? I am _not_ having a child of mine having another child!"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Daddy…..Give me a little credit! I'm not stupid!"

"I know that, Princess," he reassured her soothingly. "I just want you safe, that's all. Is that so bad?" He didn't stop to think how weird this all felt – the man who had had no qualms at all about fucking a different man practically every night when he was younger now been conquered by a blond, artistic dynamo and his daughter. Strangest thing of all, though – he really didn't mind it; in fact, he couldn't imagine his life being any other way now. But on the other hand, he somehow had the impression that opening up about his previous, wild sex life wasn't the right topic to discuss at the moment...

She sighed at the look of affection in her father's eyes. "No, I guess not," she conceded.

Brian nodded in relief. "Good. So you will promise me that you will think about what you're doing and if the time comes….._when_," he corrected himself as his daughter looked at him in incredulity. Okay, perhaps he needed to be realistic here, unless their daughter somehow miraculously decided to be a nun. "Okay, _when_ the time comes, you will come to your Poppa or me and get the protection you need. Promise?" he urged her.

She twisted her mouth in slight annoyance, but at least her tears were long forgotten now. "I promise, Daddy," she said solemnly, wanting urgently to end their intimate conversation.

He nodded in satisfaction, enormously relieved that this rather uncomfortable discourse was finally over. "Good. Now what do you say we both head down to dinner? I'm sure your Poppa is waiting for us, and you know how he gets when his dinner gets cold."

She grinned at him. "Yeah….talk about a queen out. Whew!" she exclaimed melodramatically.

Brian laughed. "You got it, Princess." He stood up and extended his hand out to his daughter, who took it easily. "Let's go see what he rustled up, shall we?"

She placed her small hand around her father's waist. "Okay. My stomach's better now and I'm actually getting hungry."

* * *

_Later that Evening_

"Well, I'm glad that's resolved," Justin said as the two men lay in bed clothed in their typical bedtime attire -_nothing_. "She seemed so much more relaxed when the two of you came down for dinner. What exactly did you say to her?" He had been so worried that their daughter would still be upset about the day's events, but to his enormous surprise, she had almost seemed like she was back to normal. She had even greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and had almost eaten more at dinner than _he _had.

Brian shrugged as he idly played with some strands of Justin's hair. Earlier when they had been eating dinner, his husband had spent most of the time when Issy wasn't looking batting his baby blues at him coquettishly and had managed to slide his bare foot underneath his pant leg under the dinner table. It had been all Brian could do not to moan out loud when the very agile foot had somehow managed to creep upward to his crotch to rub it firmly against the scratchy material of his briefs, making him horny as hell. He had glared back at Justin when he could, but the man had simply smiled arrogantly as if nothing was going on. At the moment, then, he found himself concentrating on something else besides his earlier conversation with their daughter.

"I just told her this was something every young woman had to go through and she would get used to it. I _also_ told her she wasn't going to date anyone solo until she was at least sixteen."

Justin gazed into the hazel eyes he knew so well. "You _did_?" he asked in surprise. "I bet she didn't take that too well."

"Actually, she really didn't seem too concerned about it, to tell you the truth." He gazed into the deep blue eyes thoughtfully. "She's very smart, Justin – must have gotten that from her mother," he joked as Justin snorted in response. His face sobered momentarily as he added seriously, "She has a good head on her shoulders; she'll be just fine."

"I hope so," Justin told him; he was still aware, though, that no matter what they did, or all the precautions Issy might take in this world, there was never anyplace she could go that would be totally safe. He of all people had learned that the hard way. But he had _also_ learned that there was a lot of good – and happiness – in the world, too, if you only knew where to look for it. He reached over to lightly stroke Brian's taut, bronze chest, watching the smooth skin quiver in response to his touch. "I know that as long as you're around to watch out for her, she'll always be ahead of the game."

Brian's breath hitched at his husband's feathery caresses; even now, the man knew just how to touch him to get the biggest sensual reaction from him, whether it was in their bed or under the dining room table. "Uh, speaking of getting _a head_….it seems I recall a little bargain we made if I agreed to go and speak to our daughter, _Poppa_. It's time for you to pay up now."

"Are you trying to take advantage of my position, Dad?" Justin asked, his eyes twinkling in mischief. He let out a squeal of surprise as Brian growled in response and promptly rolled on top of him; it was his turn to groan as Brian trapped their quickly-hardening cocks between their bodies and taunted him by rubbing his long, lanky frame against the more slender one until their faces were mere inches away from each other.

Brian linked their hands together and placed them above Justin's head as he lay flat against the blond and watched the other man squirm in pleasurable torment as he gasped out, "I don't think you _need to get a head_," he commented breathlessly as Brian chuckled just before he came in to steal a deep kiss. As his body lay full-force on top of Justin's, he could feel the blond's heart beating rapidly in anticipation of what was to come and just like it always did, his own heart sped up into the same rhythm.

"Time to pay up," Brian murmured huskily as he broke off their kiss and smiled triumphantly at his husband.

Justin smiled mischievously. "Without protection?"

"You got it, Sport," Brian growled just before he gave him a demonstration.


	9. Driving Dad Crazy

_Two years later – _

"Brian…..We can't just push this aside." Sitting on the sofa, Justin took a small sip of his coffee and eyed Brian intently as he waited for his husband's response. This was the third time they had had this talk this week; at least Issy was gone this evening to a movie and wouldn't be able to interject her own opinion into their discussion. Of course, both men already knew what her feelings on the matter would be, anyway…..

Brian closed the laptop he had open on his desk and sighed. He ran his hand through his hair as he gazed over at his husband a little wearily. "But why _now_? What's the hurry?"

"She's sixteen, Dad," Justin told his husband simply. "Wasn't that your priority when _you_ were that age?" Brian merely quirked an eyebrow at him and smirked. "Well, after that," Justin said in amusement. "It's a rite of passage. I remember how I was chomping at the bit to drive when I was her age. I drove my mother crazy."

"I'm not surprised," the brunet told him. "That _is _one of your many talents." Justin rolled his eyes at him as he continued, "Besides, I'm having a hard time remembering that far back – I'm so close to being on Medicare now."

"Oh, stop it," Justin chided him. "Come on, Brian…..You know how badly she wants her permit."

Brian eyed his husband curiously. "I'm surprised you're actually in her court, Justin. I would have thought you would have been more apt to make her wait. What's the rush? Haven't you read how teenagers are much more likely to be in auto accidents than any other age group?"

"Thank you, Mr. Public Service Announcement," the blond bantered back. "Yes, I'm well aware of that. But the laws in West Virginia are very strict about licenses; at least if she gets her Level I Permit now, she can't drive unless there's an adult in the car with her, and she can't have more than two other underage passengers in the car at any time. Plus, she's not allowed to use a cell or text while she's behind the wheel. I think it would be best if she has those restrictions imposed on her initially, rather than waiting until she turns eighteen when all the rules are relaxed, don't you?"

Brian looked over at him skeptically; two blonds ganging up on him was totally unfair. "I still don't like it, Justin," he said, still not convinced. "This is our baby we're talking about here." He couldn't recall ever being so worried about Gus when he went to get _his_ driver's permit. He supposed there was a double standard inherent in that, but he didn't care. This was _Issy_; their little girl. No matter how old she got, she would always be his little girl and he would always want to take care of her. He also knew, though, that he was fighting a losing battle.

Justin smiled over at the brunet sympathetically; he had an idea that was going to be Brian's reaction. "Then we'll just have to see that she's taught how to drive the proper way to keep her safe," he told him.

Brian raised an eyebrow. "And just what does _that_ mean?"

"One of us will have to do the dirty deed," was the unfortunate reply.

Brian sighed. "Somehow I don't think that's the same _dirty deed_ I have in mind."

Justin's only reply was to smile back at him radiantly, but that was enough of an answer for him. "And just which one of us did you have in mind?" As Justin grinned at him, he said, "Never mind. I already know."

* * *

_The Next Afternoon - After School_

"But why can't we take the 'Vette, Daddy?" Issy asked her father in disappointment as she sat behind the wheel of her Poppa's SUV. The front seat was extended as far as it would go to accommodate her petite stature; even so, she had to lean forward just a bit to firmly touch the gas pedal and the brake.

"Two reasons, Princess. Number One – it's a stick shift which makes it harder to operate, Number Two – the SUV is much safer in case you get into an accident, and Number Three – it would cost me a shi...uh, a _bundle_ of money to repair it every time you hit a curb or a guardrail."

"Daddy….it's not like I'm going to aim for a tree or something!" She crossed her arms across her chest in indignation as her blue eyes flashed in annoyance.

Brian curled his lips under; that might be, but he remembered when _he_ was learning to drive with a driving instructor (his mother and family were useless when it came to helping him learn and he almost gave Debbie a heart attack the one time she tried to ride with him), and he knew how teenagers seemed to invite unforeseen objects to appear out of nowhere. The 'Vette was his baby (at least after his daughter), and for its sake as well as his daughter's, he wanted her in Justin's "tank" when it came to her driving lessons. "I'm sure you'll be as careful as possible," he reassured her, keeping his face – and his voice – as solemn as possible. "I just want you safe, okay?"

She peered over at him with those soft blue eyes that looked so much like her father's. "Promise it's only temporary? If anyone sees me in this _family _car, I'll just die!" She was wearing a baseball cap covering her mop of unruly blond hair, Brian's old leather jacket over her pink and lime green tee shirt and a pair of well-worn, stone-washed jeans; she wanted to be as inconspicuous – and unrecognized – as possible just in case.

Brian looked outside the passenger window to hide his smile at her queen out. He regained his composure quickly as he turned back to her and said, "I promise, Honey. As soon as I know you're capable of being a good driver, we'll get you a good used car to drive – something that screams out "I'm a teenager and I know it."

"You'll get me a car?" she asked excitedly, her eyes dancing in anticipation as she picked up on her father's statement immediately. "Can I get a Beetle?" She loved the miniature flower vase in the middle of the dashboard that came with it; she was already thinking about which sky blue, lime green, and pink flowers to put in it.

"Now, Issy, I said when you prove you can be a good driver. That might be a while," he warned her gently, but he knew once the genie was out of the bottle there was no going back. He really _did_ intend on buying her a good, used car in the not-so-distant future; he certainly couldn't have her driving his 'Vette and Justin would need his vehicle available to transport his artworks from gallery to gallery as needed. He just hadn't mentioned that little fact to his husband yet, and he wasn't quite sure what his reaction would be. "You'll have to prove to me first that you deserve it."

"I will, Daddy," she assured her father, her pouting session quickly forgotten. "Can we get started now?"

Brian took a deep breath, steeling himself for their first lesson. How did Justin talk him into this again? Oh, yeah – it was part flattery ("You've always been such a good driver, Brian"), part guilt trip ("But Issy wants _you_ to show her"), and part straight-out, raunchy dirty-talk ("If you help her learn to drive, I'll let you drive _me _– hard and deep"); he had enjoyed the idea of that last part immensely – he had wasted no time collecting on that particular condition of his agreement last night after Issy had gone to bed – but he still was left with the distinct feeling that he was being played by his husband expertly like some master musician playing his cherished instrument.

"Okay, Honey," he told her, resigned to the inevitable. "Go ahead and start it up."

She smiled at him eagerly and nodded as she turned the key in the ignition; the vehicle's engine echoed in the cavernous space of the four-car garage as Brian pressed the remote over the visor and the heavy steel door swung up and opened behind them. She reached to pull down the gearshift located in the middle console when Brian placed his hand over hers. "Uh, uh, Issy," he gently admonished her. First you look in the rear view mirror to make sure there are no other vehicles behind you, and you also look in the side mirror to make sure it's clear before you put it into gear."

Issy sighed softly; it was going to be a long afternoon. Despite their seating arrangement, it was obvious who was _really_ in the driver's seat here and it wasn't her. "Okay, Daddy," she grudgingly agreed as she went through the motions of looking in both mirrors. "All clear – no tricycles, balls, or little children running around."

"Issy…"

"Daddy, can we just go?" She asked impatiently. She was so eager to get started, but at this rate, she was still going to be in the garage an hour later. She knew she should have just gotten her older brother, Gus, to teach her, but he was away at grad school and wouldn't be available until the summer. She just couldn't bear to wait that long, even though she suspected it would have gone a lot smoother than this experience was going to be.

"All right," Brian told her with a sigh. "Put the car in reverse and s-l-o-w-l-y give it some gas."

She nodded as her father watched her intently. She curled her hand around the gearshift and pushed it into reverse as requested.

"Put both hands on the wheel," he told her firmly. "Pretend your hands are at 10:00 and 2:00," he added, trying hard to remember what his driving instructor had told him. It seemed almost like a century ago as he scrambled to recall what he had been advised to do.

Issy bit her lip in concentration as she placed both of her slender, pale hands on the wheel and slowly gave the vehicle some gas

"Not so fast, Issy! Gently, gently," he softly cautioned her as she let up slightly on the accelerator and slowly backed out of the garage. At least she was moving in the right direction, he tried to assure himself, and there were no other cars parked nearby. He had actually relocated the 'Vette over to the last space in the garage nearest to the house in what he hoped was a subtle move. He had a feeling, though, that Issy probably realized the reason why it wasn't parked in its normal space, but he wasn't taking the chance – while he couldn't recall all the words of wisdom his driving instructor had showered him with so long ago, he didn't have any problem remembering how many concrete curbs, shopping carts and poles he had managed to take out along the way, just like some relentless, traffic cone hit man.

His daughter managed to back the vehicle out of the garage in fairly short order as Brian told her, "Now, put your foot on the brake and push the gearshift into drive," he told her.

She nodded, smiling now that they were finally getting somewhere. Soon they would be out on the road! Her heart began to beat faster simply at the thought. Her father's did, too, but not exactly for the same reason..…

"Okay, now slowly give it a little gas and put your hands back up on the wheel," he counseled her. He was relieved Britin had a long driveway; at least that would give him a little time to steel himself for when they actually hit the main thoroughfare. Fortunately, out in this part of the state, Issy stood a better chance of hitting a stray cow than another vehicle. That didn't bode too well for bovines, but he thought that perhaps they'd get a decent steak or two out of it.

Issy slowly guided the sedan down the paved driveway at a crawl, just the right speed for her father, who found himself holding onto his seat more tightly the closer they got to the end of the drive. "Get ready to put the brake on, Issy," he warned her as they came to the double iron gates. _Thank God the gates are already open_, he couldn't help thinking. He had a feeling that iron bars and vehicles didn't mix too well together.

* * *

From his position by the study's tall, imposing window, Justin watched behind the parted curtain as father and daughter slowly drove down the long drive toward the street. He wasn't quite sure what sort of emotions he was feeling – he supposed it was part nervousness, part amusement and part nostalgia. Part nervousness for his daughter's first sojourn out into the big, bad world of crazy drivers, part amusement over what Brian was no doubt going through at the moment, and part nostalgia for what used to be and what was quickly changing. In some ways it seemed like a blink of an eye has passed between the time he and Brian had brought their daughter home dressed in her pink, cotton onesie with "Fathers' Princess" emblazoned on her little chest to the present day; other times, especially when their headstrong, independent but passionate daughter threw a teenage temper tantrum and exhibited her willful, stubborn side, it what hard to even realize it had been the same person.

He knew this was all a part of life and it just meant their daughter was growing up; but it was times like these that just for a moment, he wished that time could stand still and their daughter would be their little girl who needed their help forever. How he hated to let her go out into the world alone. Oh, he knew he and Brian would always be there for her, but they could no longer deny it – their little daughter was becoming a young woman. Here she was taking lessons to become a driver, and soon, sooner than he and Brian would like, she would be graduating from high school and perhaps going to college. Were he and Brian prepared for that moment when they would have to let her make her own way in the world? Probably not; but he knew they would have to do it. That didn't mean it would make it less painful, though; he and Brian had grown to love their daughter more than both of them would have ever thought possible, Brian perhaps even more than he. He sighed a little in melancholy as he slowly watched the car proceed down the driveway and finally disappear before he turned around and leaned against the window ledge. He resolved this evening to bestow just a little extra tender loving care on the man he loved dearly and who was no doubt feeling the same twangs of imminent separation that he was.

* * *

To her credit, Issy had managed to turn right and proceed fairly efficiently down the street; the only trouble was, she was hugging the middle of the road as she did so. "Honey, you're over the line," Brian had to tell her. "You need to get back in the right-hand lane."

"I _am_ in the right-hand lane!" she insisted, affronted. At least to her it appeared so, anyway. An oncoming driver, however, had a different opinion as the middle-aged lady blasted her horn when she whizzed by Issy going well over the 35-mph speed limit.

"Keep your frosted wig on, you old crone!" Brian shouted back at her as they passed by. If he hadn't been holding on so tightly to the seat, he would have given the woman the finger, too. He knew the woman had a point, but he wasn't about to let her scare his daughter to death, either. "Issy, Honey, you do need to scoot over."

"But it looks fine to me," she countered; it looked perfectly straight from her vantage point.

"You need to line up the middle of the hood so it's in line with the side of the road," Brian told her. At least he thinks that what the driving instructor had told him, wasn't it?

Issy glanced over at him, receiving a wave of Brian's hand indicating she needed to keep her eyes straight ahead and on the road. "Pretend that you're cutting the hood down the middle and line it up with the white line on the side of the shoulder," he told her.

Issy scrunched up her face. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard," she decided. "What if there _is _no white line on the side of the road?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Well, just pretend, then! But you need to move over before an 18-wheeler comes driving me and clips the driver's door. I don't think your Poppa would appreciate that."

"Okay, okay," she grumbled as she pulled over more toward the right.

"Move back over, move back over!" Brian admonished her as she over steered toward the berm and threatened to run off the shoulder; he could hear the crunch of gravel as the tires came too close to the edge of the road. One bad move and he could see them winding up in the ditch along with the plethora of discarded beer cans and fast food wrappers currently piled there already.

He let out a huff of breath as he felt his heart speeding up in part-nervousness and part-terror. "Issy…maybe we'd better turn up here away from the highway." Approximately a mile ahead was a less-traveled, two-lane side road that was seldom used any more since the more modern interstate highway had been built approximately five years ago. It seemed like a perfect alternative to the road they were presently on, which was used mainly as a shortcut through the business part of town; actually, a nice empty school parking lot or a wide-open desert like the kind they tested Chuck Yeager's faster-than-sound vehicles with seemed like an even better idea, but he didn't suppose there were any of those available at the moment.

As his daughter slowed down and turned a little too quickly toward the right to take the less-traveled road, Brian instinctively braced his hands against the dashboard and stomped his foot on the floor.

"Daddy," his daughter said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "You don't have a brake pedal over there."

"I wish I did," he muttered softly as he took another calming breath. At least there didn't seem to be nearly as much traffic on this road as on the other one. "Just keep your eyes on the road, Princess," he added more loudly. "You have to stay focused."

For a few seconds there was a pregnant pause as Issy maintained a fairly constant speed just below the posted limit while Brian kept a watchful eye out for his worst nightmare – an errant cow or worse, a deer running out in front of them. Out here in wilderness country – at least that's what it felt like to Brian after living in his loft for so long – it seemed like there were literally herds of Bambis congregating in every field. And the damned things never believed in going solo – where there was one, there was always at least one more right behind them.

"Watch out for deer, Issy," he told his daughter urgently. "There's a lot of them out here.

"Daddy," she said, trying hard not to let her annoyance show. This was almost worse than when she had taken piano lessons briefly at the age of ten; the old woman that had taught her at Britin for a few weeks' torture before she finally got up the nerve to admit her heart just wasn't in it had constantly been on her case to curve her wrist just right, sit up straight on the bench, do her finger stretches when she wasn't there, and so on and so on…..until she just couldn't take it anymore. This was fast approaching the same level of tension, even though she loved her father dearly. She just never thought her normally put-together father would turn into a nervous Nelly like he was appearing to be right now.

"Give me a little credit," she huffed out. "I'm looking, okay?" She glanced over at her father for a couple of seconds to gauge what he was thinking, but her father had pasted on his undecipherable shell that he sometimes applied when he was trying not to let her know what he was thinking.

Brian sighed. Justin was going to so owe him when they got back. "I know you are, Honey," he told her softly. "I just want you to be careful. Being behind the wheel of a car is a major responsibility, Issy." He noticed the firm puckering of his daughter's lips in stubbornness as he continued. "Your father and I love you and we want to be able to watch you grow up, get married, have kids….whatever will make you happy." _Hell_, he thought, _I'll even be happy growing old, as long as you're safe and your father is by my side. _He didn't stop to think how unbelievable that thought was – that is, until Justin and his daughter had come along.

At last his daughter smiled slightly; she kept her eyes on the road, however, as she told her father, "I know, Daddy," she admitted. "I want that too. And I feel the same way….even if you _are_ too overprotective."

Brian curled his lips under in amusement. "I am, am I?"

"Yes," she answered promptly. "You're even worse than Poppa."

Brian huffed in indignation. "I am not," he countered as his daughter laughed in response. He wasn't fooling anyone here, was he?

Brian watched with a little trepidation as an oncoming car approached their SUV again; to his surprise, Issy calmly stayed in her lane and passed the other vehicle as the other driver, a male, didn't even steal so much of a glance her way as he went about his business. Perhaps his daughter was getting the hang of this driving thing after all. As he gazed over at the look of serious concentration on her face, he was again struck by just how much she reminded him of Justin – same hair color, same beautiful, blue eyes, same perky little nose, and the same stubborn, I-can-do-it-myself attitude. He shook his head – he was clearly fucked form the very first moment he had laid eyes on this incredible little girl who was quickly becoming a woman. He was at once proud but also sad about that fact. He had no doubt his and Justin's daughter would be a self-sufficient, capable, and independent woman, but he was going to miss the little girl who used to mischievously throw his keys in the toilet, too…..

"Issy?" he said softly. "I think that's enough driving for today, okay? It'll be dark soon."

"Just a few more minutes?" she pleaded; she was starting to like being behind the wheel now that her father had relaxed somewhat.

Her father looked over at her tenderly. "Okay, Honey, we'll go up a couple blocks to Cooper and turn left at the light; that'll take us back toward the house."

She smiled eagerly as they slowly continued a few more blocks farther down the rather secluded highway. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Brian reached over and gave his daughter's leg a brief squeeze.

"I'm proud of you, Issy. You know that, don't you?" Brian said softly. He felt an unexpected lump appear in his throat as his daughter's lips turned upward into a slight smile.

"I know, Daddy."

* * *

Justin returned to the same window a while later, getting concerned somewhat that father and daughter hadn't come back to the house yet. He knew how anxious Brian had been about Issy's first turn at the wheel and it had been over an hour now. He just hoped that something hadn't happened to them. Just the thought of harm coming to either one of the people he loved so deeply scared the shit out of him.

His heart resumed beating normally again as he finally saw his vehicle slowly driving back up the pavement. He quickly replaced the curtain back where it belonged and went over to the sofa to sit down; he grabbed a nearby art magazine and had just enough time to begin casually thumbing through it as the whirlwind known as their daughter came rushing into the house to find him. "Poppa!" she called out to him excitedly.

"In here, Issy," he responded. He put the magazine down and smiled at the look of rapture on his daughter's face as she walked in. "How was it?"

"Great!" she said, breaking out into a radiant smile as her eyes glowed. "I think I managed to scare Daddy to death!"

Justin laughed as the man in question came walking in behind her; his hair was mussed up and his shirt looked a little worse for wear, but other than that he appeared to be fairly serene for someone who had just been out with a teenager for her first driving lesson. "You did?" he asked her, smiling over at Brian, who promptly walked over to the portable bar and poured himself a shot of Beam.

"Well, he was a little better toward the end," she clarified. "After we got off the main highway." Brian walked over to the nearest leather chair and plopped down in it as he raised his glass and silently swallowed the amber liquid in one gulp.

Justin pursed his lips together in an attempt not to smile, but he was only partly successful. "I'm glad to hear that, Honey. When are you going back out?"

"When can we go back out again, Daddy?" Issy asked eagerly as she walked over to snag some bottled water from the compact refrigerator underneath the bar and walk back over to stand in front of Brian.

"Uh….I'll need a couple of days," Brian answered to his daughter's disappointment. "Got a lot of business to take care of. Maybe sometime Saturday…..unless your Poppa wants to pinch hit for me in the meantime." He glanced over at Justin hopefully.

"Oh, no – I think it's best for consistency's sake that you only have one teacher," Justin told their daughter helpfully, smiling over evilly at his husband who glared back in response. "Besides, I've got a painting that needs to be done by the weekend, so I'm going to be pretty tied up, Honey. You'll just have to wait until your other father can take you out again." He looked over at Brian before adding, "At his age, it takes him a little longer now to recuperate from stressful situations." Before Brian could shoot him a dagger of death for that comment, he turned to gaze studiously into their daughter's eyes.

Have you finished your homework for tomorrow yet?" he asked their daughter.

She looked at him a little sheepishly. "Everything but algebra."

Justin nodded; he figured as much - algebra wasn't Issy's favorite subject, even though she did well in all her courses. "Well, I've got some spaghetti and garlic bread ready in the kitchen for dinner. Go clean up so we can eat and then you need to get cracking on that."

"Okay, Poppa," she told him resignedly. She started to walk out of the room to run upstairs and check on Petey but stopped long enough to turn around and say to her father, "Thanks for taking me out to drive, Daddy. I had a lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again!" She smiled at the man for a couple of seconds before she turned back around and rushed down the hall to take the steps two at a time, leaving the two men alone.

Brian let out a sigh of relief, glad to be back at home after their adventure. He had tried to come up with an appropriate comeback for Justin's age comment, but found he was more interested at the moment in just taking it easy. Maybe he _was_ getting old...

"Need a refill, Dad?" Justin asked him in amusement. Brian looked beat as he sat there with one long leg angled over the arm of the chair; he swung it idly back and forth as he eyed his husband. Despite his tired look, Justin still thought he looked sexy as hell, though; of course, the man could be wearing a flannel shirt, gaudy, plaid shorts and striped socks, and he would still look that way to him.

Justin walked over to retrieve the bottle of Beam from the bar and bring it to his husband; his face flushed under the heated gaze of the brunet as he approached the chair. "I _would_ ask if you need one for the road, but maybe that's not a good way of putting it under the circumstances," he teased him. "How about I just ask if you need your thirst quenched?" he said softly, his eyes waggling in suggestion as he licked his lips. He remembered his vow earlier to provide a little extra-special attention to his man this evening in gratitude for braving their daughter's first driving lesson.

"I need it quenched all right," Brian growled huskily, picking up immediately on Justin's tone of voice as he unexpectedly grabbed the blond and pulled him into his lap. Justin squeaked in surprise as two strong arms encircled his waist firmly as he straddled Brian's thighs. Brian pulled him forward until their lips were touching and as usual their passion once more ignited into a deeper embrace as the two kissed deeply.

"Mmmm," Justin managed to murmur through partially-open lips as Brian's tongue snaked out to thread its way into his mouth. He took a quick breath before Brian plunged even deeper in an attempt to practically devour him; he wasn't sure if it was his husband's ordeal with their daughter that had made him so horny, but he decided whatever had caused it, he liked it as he felt Brian twisting under his grasp and gasped as their sensitive cocks rubbed together unexpectedly. Cursing silently, he managed to break apart from the relentless, kissable lips just long enough to breathe out a warning, "Brian….Issy," as he heard their daughter's footsteps sounding on the stairs signaling her imminent arrival; he fought to disentangle himself from Brian's possessive clinch just before she reappeared in the room. He had just enough time to drop onto the couch as, fighting to smooth his shirt back down and placing his hands over his lap to disguise his now painful, neglected hard-on, he glanced up and forced a smile of indifference on his face toward his daughter as she reappeared in the doorway to say, "Coming for dinner, Poppa?"

Brian let out a snicker as Justin took a deep breath to try and slow his heartbeat until he managed to say, "Yeah, Honey – go help yourself. We'll be there in a few minutes, okay? I just need to discuss something with your father first."

Fortunately, their daughter didn't question their somewhat odd behavior - it wasn't quite so odd when it came to her two fathers, anyway; being hungry, she nodded her understanding and turned around to walk back toward the kitchen.

Justin let out a sigh as she disappeared from sight. "That was a close one," he said in relief as he glared over at Brian, who had been no help at all. "You do realize I have a major problem now, don't you?" he chided the brunet. "Couldn't you have waited at least until after dinner?"

"But I wanted my dinner_ now_," the brunet answered sincerely in that velvet-like, sexy voice that always set Justin's pulse racing in anticipation. Justin groaned in response, just like Brian knew he would.

The blond shook his head at him. "You fucker," he growled low, but he couldn't help twisting his mouth in grudging amusement as Brian merely shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"Come over here and I'll help you take care of your _major problem_," his husband volunteered, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Besides, after what I just went through, you owe me big time. I think I just got at least a dozen more gray hairs."

Justin smiled. "Oh, so you're finally admitting you do get them? Let me go write that down – this _is _a red-letter day."

"Yeah, it's a red-letter day, all right; when I get done with you later, your _ass_ is going to be red."

"Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Come over here and I'll give you a clue."

* * *

_Later That Evening_

One living room blow job and two fucks later, the two men lay in their king-sized bed, listening to Petey and Issy's last words of conversation for the evening filtering from their daughter's room down the hall. Despite the fact that the bird was now five years old, he was showing no signs of letting up on his constant chatter and penchant for learning new vocabulary words. The two men never had to actively monitor what songs or television shows their daughter was listening to or watching – all they had to do was wait a few days and Petey would repeat them, word for word.

"Well," Brian said breathlessly as he waited for his respiration to slow down. "That was an even wilder ride than the one with our daughter earlier. Now at least I know what a _hard drive_ really is."

Justin smacked him quickly on the stomach with a sweaty hand as he lay on his back next to him. "And don't you ever forget it, _Dad_," Justin said, turning his head to gaze at Brian and smile. "Think you'll be able to survive several rounds of this?"

"What? You and me fucking? Sunshine, if I've survived through what must be thousands of blow jobs and fucks by now, I think I can manage to handle a few thousand more….at least until my dick shrivels up and dies from old age, anyway."

"Hey!" Brian yelped in pain as Justin reached over and twisted one of his nipples.

"Not that, you asshole!" Justin growled. "I meant the driving lessons."

"Oh, _that_ kind of driving," he said, curling his lips under. "I don't know about that. That's asking a lot of me, Justin. Between watching out for wild animals running out in front of the car and other drivers who insist on having a lane of their own, I'm not sure my heart can stand it." He turned his head to look into his husband's amused blue eyes. "Tell me again why we decided to have a daughter?"

"Because you love and adore me so much that you couldn't imagine having only one copy of me running around?"

Brian twisted his lips in admission. "Something like that." He leaned over to give Justin a brief but sound kiss on the lips; as he pulled back to gaze into the sparkling blue eyes of the man that he, yes, did love and adore, he shook his head, knowing he was way too transparent, at least when it came to this particular person.

Justin grinned. "Well, if it's any consolation, the feeling's mutual, Mr. Kinney. But I'm _still _not taking over for you." He turned on his side to face his husband and run his hand lightly over Brian's waist; he watched in fascination as the taut muscles rippled at his touch. "But I _will_ be here to keep your engine purring in top condition."

Brian quickly rolled over to trap his husband underneath him as he placed both of his hands to either side of the blond's slender frame. "Sounds like a fair deal to me, Mr. Taylor," he huskily replied. "In fact, I think my battery has been fully charged up now. How about we go for another spin?"


	10. High School Graduation

_High School Graduation_

Justin let out a wolf whistle as his husband slowly walked into the bedroom from the adjacent dressing area. "You still got it, Hot Stuff," he teased playfully, smiling as his eyes appreciatively swept down from Brian's mop of hair to his trim body molded to a custom-tailored, black Armani suit and then resting finally on his husband's expensive, polished, Gucci shoes. It was nice to know that despite all the changes that had taken place over the years in their lives, Brian's ability to take his breath away still remained firmly in place as he drank in every inch of the sculptured, bronze form.

Brian's auburn hair had some subtle touches of gray in it now, and there were a few age lines around his eyes (not that Justin would ever admit it out loud to his husband, mind you), but Brian's parents must have at least blessed him with good genes because he was one of those men who only seemed to get sexier as they aged; at least Justin certainly had no complaints as he studied the handsome man in front of him and felt the familiar pang of gratitude that he had been the one so long ago that had captured this man's heart.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Brian countered as he curled his lips under in reply and slowly turned completely around to afford Justin a complete view.

Justin smiled as he said, "Not one," he replied, walking over to place a quick kiss on the brunet's lips.

"Where's Issy?" Brian asked, noticing how quiet it appeared at the moment.

"She had to get her hair done, remember?" he reminded him. "You can't get your diploma without being well-coiffed."

"What's the point?" Brian answered. "She's going to have a cardboard-covered hat on top of her head the whole time."

Justin smiled as he reached up to wrap his hands around Brian's neck. "Now, Dad, I thought you had this whole female psyche thing all figured out by now. It's not the reality, it's the _image_." He placed another quick kiss on Brian's lips before adding, "You know she didn't get that philosophy from _my_ side of the family."

Brian's lips twisted into a grin. "Well, don't look at me – it's _your_ genes, not mine, remember? I had nothing to do with her twisted values." He took a quick look at Justin, who was dressed casually but tastefully in a dark gray blazer, partially-opened navy-blue linen shirt, and a pair of matching gray corduroys. "You do have a point, Sunshine," he conceded. "I could never accuse you of being a label queen. I must say, though," he added, waggling his eyebrows as he gave his husband an admiring glance, "you can clean up well at times when the need warrants."

Justin smirked. "Gee, thanks for the underwhelming compliment," he teased as Brian smiled back at him in return.

Brian glanced down at his watch. "Is she coming back here and riding with us to the ceremony? If she is, she'd better hurry – she's supposed to be backstage by 7 and it's almost 6 now." The graduation ceremony was being held in downtown Pittsburgh at the Convention Center; despite the relatively small size of Issy's graduating class, the local school district always sent their yearly graduates off with a lavish event in the "big city" as a reward for their achievement.

Both fathers were enormously proud of their daughter's status as salutatorian of her senior class and were looking forward to her speech this evening. They had tried hard to get Issy to disclose what she was going to say, and had even encouraged her to practice her speech on them, but she had mysteriously refused, saying she wanted to surprise them. They didn't know whether to be wary or flattered or both, but Issy had been adamant that they would have to wait nonetheless.

"No," Justin told him. "She's going to go straight to the auditorium from the salon. She's taking Jill and Megan with her – they're all getting their hair done together."

"Oh," Brian said, curling his lips under in amusement. "I didn't realize it was a group event. What is it about girls her age needing to attend everything together like lemmings?" Justin grinned back at him as he studied the blond and observed, "You're being awfully calm, cool and collected about this whole thing. Hasn't it sunk yet in that our little girl is leaving her homo nest soon to go out into the big, bad, hetero world?"

Issy had recently been accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, one of the most reputable schools in the U.S. for that type of study. She had dreamed of a career in fashion design ever since she had been a little girl and had enjoyed tearing up old clothing of Emmett's and Daphne's to reinvent new outfits that she felt were the height of creative fashion. Of course, neither Justin nor Brian had had the heart at the time to tell her that purple feathers, orange sequins and tartan scarves didn't quite mesh very well together, because the look of joy and pride on their little daughter's face was more than worth their silent horror over her choice of patterns and colors. It seemed that their decision to keep their opinions to themselves had been the right one, because their daughter had actually become quite a creative, innovative maverick when it came to fashion design, so much so that several schools had been competing for her. They had even provided full scholarships to attend, which, while not being necessary for her, was still a big compliment to her talents. She would remain at home for the next few months, seeking a summer internship job in fashion around the Pittsburgh area, but she was due to leave for college in the fall.

"Well, we've raised her up right, Brian," Justin replied. "She's got a good head on her shoulders, and she'll be staying with Daphne's niece and her parents. Daphne has assured me that her brother-in-law and his wife will keep a close eye on her, so I'm not really worried." Worried, though, was not the same as missing her terribly; Justin had no doubt he would be feelings those pang of emptiness soon enough, but for now he wanted to concentrate on their daughter's achievements.

Brian studied Justin's face as he stood in front of him; the blond was still the most beautiful man he had ever seen, even now. He was the most passionate, creative, and loving person he knew. And over the years, he had developed quite a talent for pasting on a poker face when he needed to. Brian suspected this was one of those cases, because he wasn't buying the worry-free look on his face for a second.

"Uh, huh," Brian replied, placing his hands on Justin's upper arms and gazing into the blue eyes. "You're fine with her jetting off to the Big Apple?"

"Brian, we can't hold onto her forever," Justin responded firmly. "I know how I felt when I was her age."

Brian smirked. "Yeah, I remember it well. I'm glad I was there to take full advantage of that _feeling_."

Justin smiled as he felt a small blush creeping into his cheeks. "Yeah, I kind of liked that part of my initiation, too. It was very…..invigorating."

"Invigorating, huh?" His hazel eyes twinkled as he smiled back at him. "That's a new word for it."

Justin grinned back at him before sobering somewhat to say, "Of course I'll miss her, Brian. Terribly." He brightened a little, though, as he tried to push that morose thought aside to add, "But there is one upside to her leaving us."

The brunet raised one eyebrow. "What – we get to entertain Petey? I hope you're not calling _that_ a good thing." He wasn't looking forward to adopting their daughter's mouthpiece, as he not-so-affectionately called the talkative bird; Petey had lately been repeating some inane commercial about a kind of women's deodorant word for word to Brian's consternation. He had threatened to donate him to the fried chicken fast food restaurant down the street as a result, but Justin knew he was kidding – at least he hoped so for his daughter's sake.

"Actually, I hate to disappoint you, _Dad_, but Daphne's family has agreed to adopt Petey _and_ Issy while she's at school. I really dreaded having to tell you, though, because I knew you would no doubt be heartbroken as a result. I'd better have some Valium handy to help you deal with the loss when the time comes."

Brian snorted. "I don't think that'll be necessary. How much did you have to bribe them to take him?"

Justin looked at him in shock. "Why, Brian, I'm surprised at you! Some people actually have moral principles. Of course, the $500 gift certificate to _Jean Georges_ I promised them may have influenced their decision just a bit."

Brian grinned down at his little blond cohort in crime at the mention of one of New York City's most exclusive restaurants. "You're finally thinking as deviously as I do, Sunshine," he replied. He sniffed as if he were crying as he added, "I'm so proud of you."

Justin smacked him on the chest. "Duh! What's the point of having a big empty house to ourselves if every time we fuck I keep hearing, "Harder, faster, Brian!" repeated in a squawky voice?"

"And don't forget the 'I love you, Brian's, too." The brunet pointed out as he answered in perfect imitation of Petey's high-pitched voice.

"Don't remind me," Justin groaned. The bird continued to retain a perfect memory; the damn parrot hadn't forgotten so much as one syllable of what he had heard so far, at least when it came to Justin's cries of ecstasy whenever he came in the throes of his and Brian's lovemaking. At least they had finally learned to keep the door shut, even when Issy wasn't home, so Petey couldn't pick up any more colorful language to share with others. Fortunately, Issy was finally at the age where she merely laughed at any of her bird's witticisms. "I know it's old hat to our daughter when he spouts one of his somewhat x-rated idioms, but I worry about what he's going to blurt out while she's at college."

Brian's eyes twinkled. "Now, Sunshine, I'm sure they're all adults. If they don't know what queers do to _entertain themselves_ in private_, _they're about to get a lesson in it up close and personal. I'm sure it'll be quite educational for them."

Justin twisted his lips into a wry grin. "Yeah, I'm sure it will be. Speaking of which, I was mentioning an upside to our daughter leaving." His blue eyes sparkled as he peered up into his husband's soft green ones eyeing him so intensely; the love for him reflected so clearly in Brian's eyes and as usual they made his heart skip a beat.

Brian slowly rubbed his thumbs over Justin's arms as he whispered huskily, "That's right, you were. Now whatever could that be, Mr. Taylor?"

Justin leaned up on his tiptoes until their lips were almost touching to whisper, "I'll give you a hint."

* * *

_Pittsburgh Convention Center Grand Auditorium – 6:45 p.m._

"Gus! Over here, Buddy!" Brian stood up and waved at his look-alike son as the young man recognized him and smiled in acknowledgment. Gus was attired in an open-necked, chocolate-brown cashmere sweater and a pair of dark-blue jeans, epitomizing a casually-elegant style so reminiscent of his father. As Brian peered over at him, he realized with a start just how much time had passed by; not only was Issy about to graduate from high school, but his son was now the same age he had been when he had married the love of his life – the man who was currently sitting by his side watching their daughter experience a milestone in her own life.

A few "excuse me's" uttered later as he scooted in front of the row of attendees, Gus finally reached his two fathers' sides and stood next to their seats.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Poppa," he told both men as he plopped down in his own seat and let out a sigh of relief. "Wow! I couldn't believe the traffic out here. I didn't realize there was a ball game at the stadium tonight or I would have left a little earlier."

"Well, you haven't missed anything exciting yet, trust me," Brian told him as Justin smiled over in greeting and said hello. "Unless you find reading what's written on the top of everyone's mortarboards exciting."

Gus turned to look at his father. "Did you do that when _you _graduated?"

Brian snorted. "Please….I was above all that juvenile shit. Mikey and I just mooned everybody when we got our diplomas; after all, what could they do then – suspend us from school?"

Gus laughed as Justin's eyes widened in shock; apparently his father had never mentioned that particular part of his history to Justin. "You did not."

"The hell I didn't; we received a standing ovation from most of the crowd. At least they had good taste."

Justin shook his head in amusement. "I don't believe you."

"I know – I'm fucking unbelievable, remember?" he retorted, evoking a very pleasant memory in his husband's mind.

"Yeah….I remember," Justin whispered in a slightly choked-up voice, suddenly waxing nostalgic over the day that Brian had proposed to him. In hindsight, except for when their daughter had been born, that had been one of the most wonderful days of his life. It had taken them a while to follow through on their intention to be married once Brian had asked, but eventually they had overcome all the obstacles in their way and had been married on the grounds of Britin in a small, intimate ceremony with only close family and friends present.

Brian didn't reply to him, but a few seconds later he felt his husband reach over and clasp his hand in his. Justin glanced over at him and met his gaze as his fingers curled over the warm hand gently. A slight twisting of his husband's lips was all the response he needed to realize that Brian knew exactly what he was feeling; he was feeling the same thing.

Justin swallowed the emotional lump in his throat as he heard the familiar violin strains of the processional music starting and watched as the graduating students began to file out onto the stage in a sea of white and blue, the school's colors. He knew Issy would be one of the last students to come out since she would be a speaker on behalf of the other students.

"There she is!" Gus told them, pointing down to the left of the stage as the two fathers noticed their daughter coming out and walking behind a rather tall, dark-haired male student. She walked over to sit in the front row on the stage, craning her neck around the auditorium in an attempt to locate her family, no doubt.

Even though they would have thought it pretty difficult to spot a small group amongst the audience, Issy finally latched onto their faces as they watched her face light up with the Taylor trademark smile and she gave her fathers and brother a small wave. Gus grinned back at her and waved in response, as both fathers felt a wide grin of pride appearing on their faces in return.

The ceremony commenced shortly thereafter with the obligatory opening statements by the principal and superintendent, as well as the valedictorian's speech of encouragement and inspiration. Finally, it was time for their daughter to speak. Both men leaned forward in their seats, extremely curious to find out just what their daughter was going to say; she had done a perfect job of keeping the content a secret up until now.

Issy stood up to the applause of the audience and walked over to the podium, holding a few sheets of paper in her left hand. As she approached the stand, she took a couple of seconds to look directly at her two fathers and her brother and smiled slightly at them before gazing out into the general audience. Her mass of golden blond hair had been styled into a chic but casual chignon at the back of her head; it had been tamed, at least temporarily, by two large rhinestone clips attached to either side. The heart-shaped, gold locket that her fathers had given her several years ago for her birthday was proudly worn around her neck as she placed the papers on the stand and began to speak in a surprisingly clear, authoritative voice, her hands holding onto the side of the wooden podium.

"Fellow students, honored guests, and faculty members….it is a great honor to be speaking to you this evening on behalf of the graduating class of Morgan County High School. Each of us will shortly be leaving what is familiar to us to strike out on our own and hopefully make a difference in the world. Based on our past experiences, we will all be hoping to bring something unique to the future, as well as fulfill our obligation to make the world a better place in which to live."

"Before I attempt to do that, however, I feel a need to personally acknowledge two very special men who have already made such a profound difference in my life; two men who have met controversy and challenges head on over the years and have never backed down from it. Two men who have taught me to stand up for what I believe in and fight for what is right; qualities that everyone should strive to possess. I only hope that when I leave their supportive, comforting embrace that I will always remember to do what is right and not be afraid to follow through on my own convictions."

As her fathers and brother listened intently to her speech, Issy turned her head to the left to gaze directly into their eyes before continuing. "I could not have had better role models than the two men who have raised me and always treated me like a princess. And while they always tended to spoil me terribly," she continued, smiling over at them tenderly, "they also allowed me the freedom to make my own mistakes, learn from them, and come out even stronger in the process." Her voice choked up for the first time as tears formed in her eyes and she said softly but distinctly, "so this is for them. I love you, Daddy. I love you, Poppa. I'm the luckiest girl on the face of this Earth."

She swallowed and took a breath to compose herself before concluding with, "And now we are given the awesome responsibility of striking out on our own, making our own decisions, good or bad, right or wrong. Let us strive to always do what the great Swedish politician, Dag Hammarskjold, said and 'Never for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.' Thank you – and to all my fellow students…good luck."

The room erupted into applause as she finished her speech and turned to walk back over to her chair to sit down. Gus smiled fondly at his two fathers seated next to him; it was hard to tell which one was more affected – Justin, who had tears in his eyes and was sniffling, or his biological father, who had this almost goofy-looking, tender smile on his face as they both stared at their daughter who had become such a beautiful, intelligent, and articulate young woman.

He shook his head in amusement as he thought about how his little sister had managed to especially change his biological father so dramatically. Oh, he had learned enough over the years through personal experience, as well as what others had told him that his father had changed for the better as he had developed a deeper relationship with him; in fact, his memories held nothing but happy ones of all the times he had spent with his father growing up. They had been sporadic at first but had increased in later years as he grew more independent of his mothers and had ultimately decided to move back to the States to attend grad school nearby.

But Issy - she had been a catalyst for change in all of them. Her birth had made his father softer, more willing to demonstrate his feelings, and even more outwardly emotional, attributes that would have been unheard of several years ago. Justin no doubt had a lot to do with that as well, but it seemed his biological father was no match for the blond, blue-eyed father and daughter two-punch combination. As much as Gus knew his father loved him, he knew that Issy was, and would always be, his little Princess. He actually didn't mind, though – he loved having another sister, especially one that reminded him of Justin, the man who had become a second father for him. He knew the bond between the four of them would always be strong, no matter where life took them, and it gave him a lot of comfort. He knew the rest of his family felt that way, too.

He felt his father squeeze his hand briefly as he turned to peer into the familiar hazel eyes while the ceremony onstage continued to wind down; the vice-principal was currently making a rather dry inspirational speech in a monotone sort of voice. "I'm glad you were able to come, Sonny Boy," his father whispered to him with a slight smile as he leaned over. "I'm sure Issy is, too."

Gus returned his smile. "Wouldn't have missed it, Dad," he replied. "So do you feel old yet?" he teased.

His father snorted. "That occurred a long time ago, Gus," he remarked. "About the time Issy was born, I think. I grew old just trying to keep up with her."

Gus grinned. "I think I started that trend," he whispered back.

"You did," he father confirmed. "But I was a little lighter on my feet back then."

Gus laughed. "I think you can still keep up just fine, Dad."

Brian curled his lips under. "Well, I can keep it up when it matters, at least," he joked, earning a silent jab in the side from his husband who had overheard him. "Well, it's true, Sunshine," he murmured in his defense as he turned to look at Justin, who merely shook his head in amusement.

Gus glanced down as he heard a speaker beginning to announce the names of the students who were due to receive their diplomas. "Students, if you will please rise to accept your diplomas and our congratulations in the order in which your name is announced," the middle-aged man told the participants. "Audience, please hold your applause until all the students have received their diplomas."

As the speaker began to announce the students in A-Z order, Brian glanced over to see Justin taking out a small, square-shaped digital camera and twisted his mouth, not surprised that his husband had remembered to bring his camera to record the event; Justin had been taking photo after photo of Issy ever since she had been born. He estimated that over the years they had probably spent thousands on photo paper and printer cartridges alone just to print all of the pictures he had taken and had placed in scrap albums. The albums were scattered all over the house, but were mainly kept in the library on several shelves there. He assumed there would soon be yet another album taking an honored place on the shelf after tonight.

"Maria Taber," the speaker intoned after several minutes had passed and several dozen students had received their diploma. "Isabella Taylor-Kinney," he announced next. To Justin's embarrassment, Brian instantly let forth with a loud whistle of approval and a "Way to go, Issy!" as their daughter walked, red-faced, over to the principal and accepted a handshake and her diploma from him. Justin would have normally covered his own reddened face, but knew he would only have one opportunity to take a shot of their daughter accepting her high school diploma, so despite several heated stares of disapproval nearby, he stood up just long enough with his camera to get a couple of quick shots of their daughter before he quickly sat back down and glared at Brian, who merely raised his eyebrows innocently at him in response.

Gus grinned at the playful bantering going back and forth between both of his fathers; some things never changed, he supposed, but in all honesty, he wouldn't want it to. His fathers always kept things lively and he would never want that to be any different.

As the graduates came to stand back at their chair, finally the last student's name was called. As if of one accord, they all threw their white mortarboards into the air as the stage and audience areas exploded into a crescendo of shouts and applause. Justin, Brian and Gus stood up to watch their daughter mingle for a few minutes with some of her friends before Issy finally began to thread her way over to their seats, a wide smile of excitement on her face.

"There's my princess!" Brian exclaimed, smiling, as their daughter rushed into his embrace and he wrapped his arms around her to give her a tight squeeze. He gave a grunt before pulling back enough to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Issy, that was a wonderful speech," he told her as she smiled back at him.

"I'm glad you liked it, Daddy," she said somewhat shyly. "Hey, Big Brother," she greeted Gus, throwing her hands around her brother's neck as her sibling wrapped her into a hug as well.

"You did good, Sis," he told her with a smile. "I guess you really _did_ earn all those good grades."

She smirked at him. "Well, I had to show you up, didn't I?" she kidded him; he had just earned a place on his college's Dean's List this past semester and had made no secret of the fact to her.

Gus grinned back at her and nodded as she turned to face her other father. Justin's eyes were glistening with tears of pride and happiness for her as she reached over to wrap her hands around his waist and cradle her head to his chest.

"Honey, that speech was the most…..the most wonderful speech I've ever heard," Justin told her with a choked voice. "You didn't have to say that, you know – we already know you love us, Issy."

She pulled back enough to stare into her father's loving eyes, so like her own. "I know," she whispered. "But everyone else didn't know." She appeared a little embarrassed as she added softly, "I've been so lucky to have you and Daddy for my fathers; I just wanted everyone to know that."

"Oh, Issy," Justin murmured in awe as his heart threatened to overflow for this wonderful young woman he and Brian had raised. "Your father and I are the lucky ones." This incredible angel of his would perhaps never know just how much a difference she had made in their lives, but he and Brian knew. Form the moment she had arrived, she had changed their lives for the better. He knew it would be so difficult to let her go, but he knew they had to. That didn't mean it wouldn't hurt like crazy, but in the meantime he was going to enjoy every second they had left with their daughter until it was time for them to say goodbye.

He cleared his throat as he smiled at her through his sentimental tears and whispered, "Ready to go to dinner now?"

"My choice?"

Brian and Justin exchanged glances before the blond nodded at her. "Wherever you want to go, Honey. But first can I get a picture of all of us together?"

"Poppa…."

Justin smiled at her sheepishly. "Come on, Issy, just one?"

"You know he won't stop until we agree to it," Brian told her. "Might as well get it over with now."

She sighed good-naturedly and nodded with a slight smile. "Okay," she agreed. A few seconds later, she had commandeered a schoolmate friend of hers to take the photo of her, Gus, and her two fathers with their hands around each others' waists, all wearing identical beaming smiles on their faces, before she eagerly pulled the rest of her family over toward the exit doors for her dinner celebration.

* * *

_Later that Evening_

Fresh out of the master shower upstairs and clad only in an old, comfortable pair of worn jeans now, Brian padded barefoot down the hardwood steps in search of his husband. The house was almost eerily quiet; even Petey had apparently retired to bed since Issy's bedroom was clothed in darkness while she was gone. Their daughter had decided to go to a movie with her big brother after dinner, so the two men were left alone for the rest of the evening.

The first place Brian peeked into was the nearby kitchen, expecting Justin to be puttering around there fixing some coffee as was his normal evening custom, but the room was silent. Walking down the hallway, he finally heard the faint sounds of jazz music filtering out of the library nearby.

Softly creeping down the hall, he peeked into the open archway and found his husband doing exactly what he had suspected he was doing: Justin was sitting at the end of their dark-brown, leather couch, the mug of coffee he had placed on the adjacent side table completely forgotten as he slowly leafed through the pages of a scrap album. Brian watched as the blond wiped a tear away from his eye with a slender index finger as he stared down at the pictures of their daughter.

His husband was so absorbed in his task that he failed to hear Brian walking in to stand behind the couch and peer at the object of his interest.

Justin was studying Issy's first photo taken at the hospital; just like most newborn's photos, this one showed their little girl with a pink knit cap on her blond mop of unexpectedly thick hair, accompanied by a white baby blanket with stripes of pink, blue and lime green. Brian had never realized before that their daughter had come into the world adorned with the same colors she had grown to love later during her pre-teen years; perhaps Issy's love for that color combination had somehow seeped into her brain at birth, he thought with a smirk. Her little, tiny pink hands were perched on either side of her head in an almost comical "I give up" pose; perhaps somehow she knew what sort of crazy family she was about to be involved in and was merely trying to protect herself.

The other photo on the opposite page showed Justin wearing a hospital gown as he stood next to the hospital's incubator and he held their newborn baby; she had been so small at the time of birth, even though the mother had carried her to full-term, that the hospital had decided to take some precautions for a few days to make sure their daughter was healthy. During that time, both he and Justin has spent virtually all their time there at the hospital, taking turns holding the extremely tiny, precious bundle that was their daughter. The photo was one of Justin holding her against his chest, his head resting on top of their tiny, blond-haired angel's head as he cradled her to his body. Their golden hair color and almost translucent, pale skin blended in perfectly together as he held her, clearly indicating this was father and daughter. Brian remembered that moment well; just before he had taken the photo, Justin had unexpectedly began to rock Issy and sing to her in a soft voice. It was actually the first time he had ever heard Justin really sing – not some Moby-inspired headphone songfest – but really _sing_, and he was astounded by the melodic tone of his voice. He could still remember the tune he had sung, because Justin had sung it several times afterward, whenever their daughter was fussy or scared of a thunderstorm or sick:

_Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,  
Go to sleepy little baby.  
When you wake, you shall have,  
All the pretty little horses._

_Blacks and bays, dapples and greys,  
Go to sleepy you little baby,_

_Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,  
Go to sleepy little baby.  
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,  
Go to sleepy little baby,  
When you wake, you shall have,  
All the pretty little horses._

Attached to the same page was a lock of their newborn daughter's hair that Justin had wrapped carefully in a piece of the baby blanket. Their daughter's hospital bracelet occupied an honored spot on the opposite page, along with a copy of Issy's baby announcement that had been sent out shortly afterward, joyously announcing the newest addition to the Taylor-Kinney household.

Brian watched as Justin slowly turned the page to study the next photo of their daughter taken on her second birthday; Issy's sweet tooth must have been inherited from her biological father, because virtually from the day she had been born, their daughter had never met a sweet she didn't like. Even now, it shocked Brian how their daughter could keep from gaining weight after he saw the number of calories she could ingest in one day, but then again, she _was_ Justin's biological daughter, so it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that she had been blessed with a high metabolism.

The photo of their daughter showed her smiling at the local ice cream parlor, a strawberry ice cream cake spread out in front of her. She had obvious remnants of white vanilla icing all over her fingers and on her face as she smiled back brightly at the camera, a goofy-looking, pointed Princess hat on her head with a rubber band holding it in place.

The photo on the opposite page showed a beaming, toothy Issy at three years of age, right after she had lost her first tooth and had experienced a visit from the legendary Tooth Fairy. Brian had naturally gone overboard and had left not only a five-dollar bill under Issy's pillow, but also a sterling silver bracelet with the initial "I" to boot. Of course, for several years after that, Issy thought the Tooth Fairy was right up there with Santa Claus until she finally learned neither existed at around the same time. At least, they didn't exist beyond Brian's total spoiling of her; Justin couldn't exactly deny he hadn't done the same thing over the years, either, though. When it came to their daughter, it was just instinctive for both of them.

The photo of Issy was accompanied with the actual tooth she had lost; they had had to explain to her that they had engaged in conversation with the man himself when he came to visit (naturally, the Tooth Fairy was a man, Brian told her to her surprise), and he had been persuaded to let them keep the tooth as a memento. So it now occupied an honored spot next to her photo.

Brian heard a sniffle from below. _Must be his husband's 'allergies' again…._He smiled tenderly as he gently placed his hands on the blond's shoulders and gave them a slight squeeze. Justin jumped slightly for a second in surprise before he quickly recognized the familiar feel of his husband's touch and relaxed back against the couch. Brian leaned down to whisper in his ear, "I didn't know it was hay fever season already, Sunshine."

He nuzzled the soft skin of Justin's cheek before releasing him to walk around the couch and sit beside him. He placed his chin on Justin's shoulder and grasped the edge of the photo album as he gazed down at the photos. "Was that really 15 years ago?" he asked softly.

Justin lips broke out into a slight smile of nostalgia as he nodded. "Yeah…hard to believe, isn't it?" he whispered shakily, his eyes shiny with tears.

Brian reached over to kiss the pale cheek. "Yeah, it sure is," he admitted. "I went through more key fobs because of your kid."

Justin laughed softly at Brian's use of the word _your_. "I remember. And the more you scolded her – not too sternly, I might point out – the more fun she had throwing them in the toilet. I guess you were relieved when she finally outgrew that."

"Yeah, but not the car dealership - $700 a pop? They were probably able to employ three more salesmen that year because of her."

Justin chuckled as he turned the page to look at the next picture; this one was taken on Issy's first day of kindergarten. "Boy, I remember how frazzled you were _that_ day," Justin teased him. "Couldn't even put her backpack on her properly."

"Hey, I got her hair in a ponytail; by the time I did that, I was exhausted. That girl has thicker hair than a German Shepherd."

Justin laughed. "I don't know if Issy would like being compared to a guard dog, Brian."

"Well, it's true," he pointed out. "You would think by now she'd get tired of trying to tame that long hair."

"That's her crowning glory, _Dad_, you know that." Despite numerous tries, they had never been able to get their daughter to do more than trim her hair; she just enjoyed being able to style it in so many different ways that she always insisted on keeping it long. Of course, that meant they were constantly going through hairbrushes and curling irons, but both men figured it was better than arguing with her.

Justin smiled as he turned one more page. "Now that was an adventure," he commented. The photo showed Issy at age five, decked out in what would turn out to be one of her favorite Halloween costumes. She had been dressed as a bunch of grapes that year made out of two dozen, purple helium balloons that he and Brian had been forced to blow up with a hand-held pump and attach to a purple leotard. In the time before she had finally left to go trick-and-treating, they had spent at least a couple of hours replacing "grapes" that Issy kept managing to burst by various means; always a fidgety sort, she had insisted on trying to sit down before it was time to go, resulting in several deflated globes, and had burst a few more when she had tested their resiliency with Justin's favorite letter opener.

"You sure were an _a-peeling_ banana, though," Brian said solemnly as he stared at an additional father/daughter photo before bursting out into laughter. Only their daughter would have been able to persuade Justin to don a bright, yellow felt banana suit to accompany her treat-or-treating; he had been forced to wear it when one of Issy's friends' parents had let her borrow it after explaining how badly she wanted her father to dress up and go out with her. He groaned at the recollection as Brian grinned back at him. "Actually, you _still_ have an a-peeling banana," he deadpanned.

Justin smacked him on the arm. "Keep it up and my banana will stay _unpeeled_ later," he warned playfully.

Brian smiled as he leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Not even some _banana cream pie_?" he asked huskily, his warm breath tickling Justin's lobe as the blond shivered in anticipation and quickly began to vacillate in his conviction.

"Well….maybe if you make it up to me later," he said in compromise as Brian grinned. Whatever Justin had in mind for penance, it was more than all right with him; nothing his little blond beauty of a spitfire could have in mind for "punishment" would ever be bad; on the contrary, it would no doubt be very, very good.

He watched as his attempts at levity only partially produced the effect he was seeking; despite his attempts at light-hearted teasing, he heard Justin sigh as he undoubtedly resumed thinking about what they were dreading: their not-so-little girl leaving for college. "She's going to be here all summer, Justin," he reminded the blond tenderly.

Justin swallowed a lump in his throat; he never could deceive Brian. "I know," he softly replied. "But I'm going to miss her so much, Brian. Shit, where did all the time go?"

Brian huffed out a small breath. "I don't know, Sunshine. It seemed to go by so fast, didn't it?"

Justin nodded silently as Brian wrapped his arm around his shoulder and drew him tightly against his side. The brunet snorted. "Listen to us, Justin – you'd think we were planning her fucking funeral or something. It's just college; she'll be back before you know it and eating us out of house and home once more, just like someone _else_ I know."

Justin twisted his lips into a sad smile. "Yeah, maybe. But it won't ever be the same. Once she leaves, she'll only be back sporadically. You know how excited she is about living in New York City. With her career choice, let's face it. If you're going to be in fashion, the only place to be in the U.S. has got to be the Garment District."

Brian gazed into the troubled blue eyes. "Maybe you're right," he admitted somewhat painfully, surprised at how that idea bothered him, too. "But she'll always come home, Justin. This will always be where her family is, no matter where she goes. We'll always be her parents. One crazy, one not-so-crazy, both still horny as hell for each other even in their decrepit state."

That comment at least got a little bigger smile from his husband. "Well, maybe there _is_ hope after all."

Brian licked his lips and grinned. "Always, Sunshine, always. In fact, I think while our kids are at the movies, maybe we'd better go upstairs and practice. It helps to keep all the important muscles limbered up."

Justin smiled. "Perhaps that's best," he murmured solemnly as Brian twisted his mouth in response. "I wouldn't want to get out of shape due to lack of exercise."

Brian disentangled himself from the blond's grasp as he stood up and reached down a hand to pull Justin up. "Smart man," he replied.

Justin hesitated for a second before gently placing the scrapbook down on the couch. With one last wistful look, he accepted Brian's hand and rose from the couch. "Promise she won't forget to return, Brian?" he whispered softly.

"I promise," Brian answered before leaning down to give him a gentle, brief kiss. "She loves us too much – madly, passionately, and deeply."

Justin laughed. "I seem to recall another member of the family saying that before, but it took a certain other, more stubborn part of the family a pretty long time to finally admit it."

Brian grinned. "Well, I'm totally convinced now, Sunshine. Come upstairs with me and I'll remind you."

Placing his hand in his, Justin smiled as they left the study, the scrapbook temporarily forgotten until the two fathers took their next nostalgic trip down Memory Lane.


	11. A Heart Firmly Held in Their Hands

_Five Years Later- Britin - Summertime_

"What does this remind you of?" Brian asked his husband mysteriously as Justin came walking out of their master bedroom's dressing room, clad in a crisp, open-neck white dress shirt and a black tux as the brunet admired his beautiful husband. At that moment, he wasn't sure if he preferred to see Justin dressed in his expensive, Armani suit or in his _birthday_ suit; okay, he supposed he knew the answer to that question. Justin always took his breath away no matter what he was – or wasn't – wearing, but of course for convenience's sake, he preferred his husband naked, horny, and ready for him at all times. As he leered appreciatively at his younger husband, however, he thought this outfit came in as a close second.

Justin blushed at the intense look he was receiving before doing a little appreciative inventory of his own as he asked, "Uh…the time we took you to the funeral home for your 30th Death Day party?"

Brian snorted. "No, you twat, it reminds me of when we were being fitted for our _own _wedding, - well, at least the first time anyway." He and Justin had opted for a much less formal ceremony the second time around; they had already been there, almost done that and at that point they were more interested with just getting it over with – the fancy, opulent trappings didn't hold any fascination at all for them at that point. They had held an intimate event at Britin to recite their vows and then had a small but wild blowout afterward with their guests to celebrate.

Justin smiled. "I knew what you meant, Brian," he said softly. He walked up to place both of his hands on his husband's taut biceps; even now the brunet was just as toned and sexy as ever. "And you still look just as magnificent now as you did then," he declared sincerely, his eyes twinkling.

Brian smirked. "Not better?" he asked, curling his lips under.

Justin huffed out a small breath of amusement. "Well, you've certainly aged well, Mr. Kinney."

Brian rolled his eyes. "Great – now I have something in common with a good burgundy."

Justin grinned. "Well, you're both certainly full bodied," he whispered suggestively, as he reached down to grab Brian's cock through his dark gray linen pants.

Brian groaned out a soft protest in response. "Don't start something you can't finish, little boy," he scolded him, his voice coming out in a sort of throaty rasp. "The ceremony starts in an hour, and we don't have time to fuck and take a shower first."

"We don't? You really _are_ starting to slow down," Justin teased him with a smile. He squealed as Brian reached over suddenly and began to tickle him at the waist. "Stop it, Brian! You're going to wrinkle my suit! Cut it out!" he laughed.

"Who started this, Sunshine?" Brian quipped; he pinned his taller body against Justin's as he trapped his wriggling husband in his arms. He couldn't help taking advantage of the situation by leaning in to steal a resounding kiss from the enticing, soft pink lips. Pulling back to gaze into the mischevious blue eyes, his heart warmed at the sight. How he loved this man so.

"All right, Sunshine," he whispered softly. "I'll cut you some slack until our daughter gets hitched…and then your ass is all mine," he growled huskily as he gave the two soft tantalizing globes a brief kneading for emphasis with his talented, skillful hands.

Justin gasped softly at the touch as he placed his hands on Brian's chest and gave him a small push to create some space between them; he knew if he didn't break off this little tryst soon, they would wind up in the shower anyway – bad timing or not. "My potential sore ass and I thank you for your restraint – and I'm sure Issy does, too," he added, smiling when Brian somewhat reluctantly released him as he pulled his suit jacket down to try and straighten it out.

He walked over for a quick glance into their bedroom dresser mirror to make sure Brian hadn't turned him into a human version of a prune as he flattened the lapels of his suit jacket back down. He saw Brian walk up to him from behind as he snaked his hands around Justin's neck and downward toward his chest. He sighed contently at the sensation; Brian always made him feel so safe and loved when he did things like that.

"Can you believe our daughter is old enough to be getting married, Sunshine?" Brian whispered against his ear as he nuzzled his cheek. "Seems like only yesterday we were changing her diapers and she was throwing my keys in the toilet."

Justin smiled. "You mean _I _was changing her diapers – if I remember correctly, you always allowed _me _that honor."

Brian wrinkled his nose in distaste at the recollection. "Well, you always were better with your hands than I was. Remember – you're the ambidextrous one in the family."

Justin twisted his lips and smiled. "I don't know – you can be pretty talented with your _own_ hands when the need warrants it." He turned in Brian's embrace as the brunet smiled back at him tenderly before his own face sobered.

"What?"

Justin shook his head. "It's nothing." But the abrupt, tear-brightened eyes gave him away as Brian raised an eyebrow in pointed question.

"You're doing it again….." the brunet chided gently.

Justin sighed; he knew his husband could read him like the proverbial open book. "I…I just didn't think it would be so painful."

Brian bit back the flippant comment he would have normally replied with as he said simply, "What?"

Justin stared into the expressive hazel eyes peering into his. "Seeing her growing up and moving away from us. I mean, how much do we really know about Derek?"

Brian curled his lips under; they had had this conversation numerous times about Issy's husband-to-be, ever since she had come home from her first year of college five years ago, bubbling over with excitement over a man she had met on the Staten Island Ferry while on her first tourist jaunt to the Statue of Liberty. She had decided to take advantage of an Indian summer, late-fall day and finally visit the beloved landmark; she enjoyed exploring her new adopted city in her free time to try and find inspiration for her clothing designs. Derek Halstead, a Harvard-schooled, financial services advisor who worked in Manhattan and was a couple of years older, had immediately caught her eye with his "younger version, George Clooney looks" as she had so enthusiastically put it; he was rather tall with dark-hair and green eyes, about Brian's height but a little more on the muscular side.

She had nervously brought him home a few months later for an intense inspection and grilling by both fathers and he had grudgingly passed their stringent requirements regarding anyone being involved with their daughter. The man was articulate, intelligent, ambitious, and obviously head-over-heels in love with Issy. Of course, the fact that he was an old movie buff didn't hurt, either; he and Brian had begun a lengthy discussion that weekend regarding which of the old movie legends were better and two hours and a one neglected daughter later, Brian had reluctantly ruled that the man was decent boyfriend material for Issy when Marlon Brando had emerged as the eventual victor of their unofficial poll.

Justin, too, had been impressed by his attentiveness and gentleness toward their daughter; the young man couldn't take his eyes off her the entire time they were together, and their daughter's face simply glowed from the attention. They were very much alike – both had the same tastes in music, outdoor activities, food, movies, and sports. Derek had been somewhat surprised by her unorthodox family unit at first, but he hadn't been unfazed in the least about it; once he was apprised of it, he readily accepted their arrangement, even participating in a recent charity canoe race sponsored by the Pittsburgh Gay and Lesbian Center. Yes, the man had won their respect over five years' time as he continued to court their daughter; when Issy had practically floated into Britin six months ago with the news that she had accepted a marriage proposal from him, both fathers' initial reaction was to tell her she needed to wait. She was so young and had her whole life ahead of her.

But their daughter was adamant that this was her soulmate and she knew what – and _who _– she wanted. She now had a decent-paying job as a fashion designer intern with a reputable firm in the Garment District and together with Derek's salary they had managed to obtain a small but comfortable loft in the Flatbush section of New York City, having moved in together approximately two years ago. Brian and Justin had tried to come up with a good reason why they shouldn't get married, but both were hard-pressed to find one; after all, Justin for all intents and purposes had moved in with Brian early on in their relationship when he was still a teenager, and he, especially, knew what it was like to fall in love at first sight. To this day, he swore that was exactly what had happened when he had met Brian.

Now, as he stood in front of the mirror, though, Justin was still finding lingering doubts swirling around in his mind; I mean, this was their only _daughter_. This was _Issy_.

Brian smiled down at the worried blond. "Justin….we've talked about this before," he gently reminded him. "Issy has a lot of you in her – she can take care of herself. And you know how she is when she makes up her mind and goes after something – there's no stopping her. Just like someone _else_ I know," he said, curling his lips under as Justin twisted his lips in acknowledgement. "Derek's a decent guy, Sunshine. I think she's a good judge of character, too. And she's so happy around him." He sighed. "As much as I hate letting her go – and getting fucking old along with it – she's a young woman now. It's time for her to find her own way in the world."

Justin gazed into the sympathetic eyes of his husband. "I know," he admitted softly. "And I like Derek – he _is_ a good guy; he's never done anything that would make me question that. But….."

"I know," Brian said softly, reaching up to tuck some stray hair behind Justin's ear; even now, the blond's hair was never fully manageable, but Brian still loved to play with the long, soft strands. "It's Issy. Our baby girl. Our miniature little Sunshine. Our sweet, beautiful baby. But she's not a baby anymore, Justin. No more than you're still a teenage twink and I'm a club boy."

Justin smiled at that comment. "I never thought of you as a _club boy_, just a sexy stud. In fact, you're _still_ a sexy stud."

Brian grinned, tongue in cheek. "Glad you think so, Sunshine." His voice softened somewhat before he continued, caressing his husband's upper arms with his thumbs as he spoke. "You know what I mean, though. Little girls grow up and eventually begin a life of their own. And as much as we might fucking hate it, we grow old along with it." Even Brian had to admit, those gray hairs he kept trying to overlook in the mirror lately weren't going away, and the occasional pains in his knees from playing rigorous rounds of handball with clients in his younger days couldn't be overlooked anymore. Yes, even he eventually had to age. He supposed he really didn't mind, though; not as long as Justin was there with him.

Justin gazed into the familiar hazel eyes. "I know…and I am happy for her, Brian. I mean, it's not like she's really been living here at Britin since she left for college anyway. It's just that this makes it so final. It really means she'll never be coming home again."

"Are you kidding?" Brian teased him. "She's getting married here on the grounds and has already laid claim to half the stables for a couple of horses for her and Derek to board so they can come down here on the weekend to ride. After a few months of wedded bliss with those two showing up all the time, we'll be more than ready to send them on their way."

Justin snorted. "Somehow I doubt that, _Dad._ She's got you wrapped around her finger just as much as I am. All she has to do is say 'Daddy' and bat those baby blue eyes at you and you hand her anything she wants."

"Not true," Brian argued. "I have to get a couple of 'I love you's' and 'pleases' out of it first." He gazed into the eyes so much like their daughter's before he added, "It's not _my_ fault that she inherited the same come-hither eyes that her father has."

Justin burst out laughing. "Come hither? That's a new one." He considered that description for a moment before deciding, "I kind of like it, though. Makes me sound so wanton."

Brian smirked. "You _are _wanton,Sunshine. Just wait until after the wedding and I'll show you just how wanton you are. Because after our daughter's married, I'm going to be _wanton_ some of my own."

Justin smiled up at Brian as they broke apart after a brief kiss. "Well, we might be getting older, but I'm glad to see that some things haven't changed."

Brian waggled his eyebrows in response and grinned at him. "Why don't we go see how our not-so-little girl is doing, then?"

Justin nodded as together the two men turned and walked hand in hand out of their bedroom toward their daughter's room down the hall. Through the closed door, they could hear a murmuring of voices, along with one not-so-quiet voice, the ever-present Petey, who had returned to his original home to stay temporarily while his owner and her new husband were on their honeymoon. Brian had reluctantly agreed to allow it after Gus had gallantly offered to stick around during her time away and help take care of his "foster avian cousin," as he kiddingly called the parrot. He had taken a week off from his job in the state attorney's office in Harrisburg as a senate intern to participate as an usher in his sister's wedding to his fathers' delight; just like Issy, the times they could spend with Gus were precious but all too short and they treasured each one.

Brian knocked on their daughter's door and waited a few seconds until one of Issy's friends, Jill, who was one of her bridesmaids, cracked the door open a notch and peered outside. She smiled at both men as she said, "Oh, hi, Mr. Kinney." She nodded over at Justin who smiled back at her.

"Can we see the bride-to-be alone for just a moment?" Brian asked her.

Jill turned around to look at Issy before she turned back around to speak to them. "Sure," she told them as she and three other young women slowly shuffled out of the room. Through the open door, Brian and Justin could see Issy sitting at her vanity, still painted white and decorated with the familiar lime green, pink, and sky blue butterflies that Justin had drawn for her several years ago as a birthday surprise. As their daughter met their gaze in the mirror, she turned around on her wicker chair and flashed a beaming smile at them.

Both fathers' breaths caught in their throats at the sight of their beautiful daughter. She was dressed in a stunning, traditional white strapless designer gown, the bodice studded with multiples of tiny pearl beads; her hair was parted on the side and softly curled as it cascaded in spirals down her back. On the top of her head she had declined to wear a traditional veil, opting instead for a antique-looking, pearled headband. From her ears hung a pair of drop diamond earrings that matched the necklace that hung around her slender, pale neck - both wedding presents from the two men gazing at her fondly. As she smiled at them radiantly, it didn't take a father's perspective to realize how dazzling a bride she made.

Brian smiled slightly as he immediately recognized a sniffle coming from nearby; he didn't have to look to know where it had come from, but he realized to his surprise that he was tearing up a little as well. He took a breath to compose himself before saying, "Issy…...You really _do_ look like a real-life Princess," Brian noted, shaking his head in amazement. He had always thought their daughter was beautiful, but today - she positively glowed with happiness. "You look so beautiful."

She rose from her chair to walk over to her two fathers, her gown's fabric swishing as she moved. "Thank you, Daddy," she whispered, reaching up to kiss him carefully on the cheek as she placed her arms around his shoulders for a hug.

As she pulled back to smile at him, she turned with amusement to observe her biological father; his face was a mixture of both adoration and wistful nostalgia as he gazed in amazement at this wonderful young woman who had seemingly grown up overnight. His eyes were bright with unshed tears as he smiled back at her somewhat sheepishly.

"Poppa," she whispered just a little reproachfully. "You're not going to get all emotional on me, are you? You promised," she reminded him.

Justin huffed out a soft laugh and shrugged. "You really didn't think I'd be able to keep that promise, did you, Honey?" he said apologetically, his voice a little choked. He shook his head. "Your Dad's right - you are so beautiful, Issy. You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."

"Oh, Poppa," she exclaimed; she found her own blue eyes filling up with tears now. Of course that wasn't unusual; normally like father, like daughter when it came to events that affected them, and this was no exception. "Stop that - you're going to get my mascara all smudged and then I'll look like a mime getting married or something."

Brian snorted. "Well, you might wind up looking like a mime, Honey, but I don't think you'll be _mistaken_ for one; you didn't get your motor mouth from _me." _Issy had spent time earlier this week with them as she practiced reciting her handmade vows for the wedding, and it had rivaled the Gettysburg Address in length; Brian had commented to Justin afterward that perhaps they wouldn't have to worry about Derek stealing their daughter from them after all. He facetiously told Justin out of their daughter's earshot that her new husband would begin listening to her rather laborious vows and decide to seek a quickie divorce from his new bride before she had a chance to finish them.

Justin jabbed him in the shoulder as Issy said, "Daddy!" Brian raised his hands in surrender until both blonds told one look at his innocent, _who-me _face and couldn't help grinning back at him.

His joke at least prevented Issy's face from turning into a tear-soaked mess as she reached up to wipe some moisture from Justin's cheek and gave him a hug as well. "I love you, Poppa," she whispered tenderly in his ear. "Even if you are a big softie."

She released her father, who twisted his lips in grudging agreement. He _was_ a big softie, especially when it came to their daughter. "I love you, too, Issy," he whispered back, placing a kiss on her cheek. He took a deep breath and let it out before asking, "Is there anything we can do for you?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'm all set. Jill is taking good care of me." Her long-time best friend was her maid of honor today, and had done an efficient job of coordinating all the minute, endless details that always seem to appear on a bride's wedding day. "Is Grandma here yet with Gus?" Her brother and grandmother were arriving together; Gus had been due at the airport a couple of hours ago, and Jennifer had agreed to meet him there.

Brian nodded. "She called me on her cell about 30 minutes ago and said they were on their way; the plane had been delayed slightly. They should be here any minute now, though." The ceremony was scheduled to begin in about 45 minutes and guests were already arriving for the outdoor nuptials.

She smiled, happy that her brother was able to attend her wedding; she couldn't have imagined getting married without him being there. Over the years, the two had bonded as only siblings could and she kept in frequent contact with him. She unfortunately didn't get to see him in person as much as she would have liked, though, so every moment with her big brother was time to be treasured. "Good," she said. "I was getting worried something had happened."

"Well, they're on their way, Honey." Brian turned to look at Justin, who was still having difficulty not melting into a sentimental mess, even though he could tell his husband was trying hard to appear happy-go-lucky and nonchalant for their daughter's sake. "Uh…we'll let you finish getting ready, then," Brian told her with a tender smile. "We'll be downstairs when it's time."

She nodded with an excited smile, butterflies appearing in her stomach at the thought that the ceremony was quickly approaching. "Can you send Jill and the other girls back in?" she asked. "They're in the larger guest room."

Brian nodded as he took Justin's hand. "We'll see you later, Honey," he told her. Justin smiled at her before the two of them turned and walked out of the room.

As they walked down the hallway after summoning the girls back to Issy's room, Brian squeezed Justin's hand to get his attention. The blond peered over at him as he said, "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden, Mr. Father of the Bride. She's not going to the electric chair, Justin."

Justin rolled his eyes. "I know, I know," he insisted as he sighed. "I just feel like a door's closing in our lives, that's all."

"Now don't get all Helen Keller on me - or was it Julie Andrews in the _Sound of Music?"_

Justin frowned at him in puzzlement. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he wondered.

Brian laughed softly. "Never mind….I forget that you're such a youngster compared to me," he remarked as Justin glared back at him. He pulled on his husband's arm gently. "Come on, _Poppa_…let's go downstairs and get a drink from the library - something tells me you're going to need one."

He placed his arm supportively around Justin's slender waist as they walked down the steps; they would have less than an hour until their daughter was scheduled to be walked down the aisle. She had asked both of them to take a place on either side of her for the ceremony as she walked down the path to join her husband-to-be and they both gave her away. As Brian led Justin into the study, though, he thought it was debatable which blond member of the family would become more emotional during that step - Issy or Justin. _And we always thought EMMETT was the sentimental one_, he thought silently as he stole a glance at Justin, who sighed softly and walked over to the bar to pick up the bottle of Beam and fill a nearby shot glass. He filled a second one and handed it to Brian.

"To our wonderful daughter," Justin whispered softly as the two men clinked their glasses together in salute. He downed the amber liquid in one long gulp and slammed it a little too roughly down on the glass top of the bar, creating a loud echo in the book-filled room. He looked sheepishly over at his amused husband, who finished his own drink and placed his glass down more gently.

"I'm a little nervous," Justin explained.

Brian chuckled. "I can tell - I think you're more nervous this time than when WE got married ourselves."

Justin smiled at him in recollection; the day he and Brian had gotten married was one of the best days of his life - that and the day Issy had been born and they had brought her home for the first time. "Well, I had gotten used to you by then."

Brian huffed. "Thanks - now I sound like some old shoe."

Justin grinned, the playfulness finally back in his voice as he retorted, "But you're a _well-heeled, comfortable_ old shoe to me."

Brian winced as he took Justin in his arms and said, "I'm honored. Keep that up and I'll feel too old and worn out to fuck later."

Justin licked his lips and smiled as he slid his arms around Brian's neck. "Oh, that'll never happen, Mr. Kinney. You're like the Energizer Bunny of fucking. I should know."

Brian grinned. "Ding, ding, ding; right answer, Sunshine! I'm glad you realize that; you just saved your hot ass from being neglected later."

Justin made a show of turning around slightly in Brian's arms to stare down at the aforementioned object of their discussion. "You think it's hot?" he asked in a facetious voice; both men already knew the answer to that question, though.

Brian growled, "You bet your ass, Hot Stuff," before he reached down with one hand and gave one of the fleshy globes a pinch, making Justin yelp softly before he laughed.

"Just making sure," the blond said impertinently before Brian swooped in for a deep kiss. Several seconds later, they broke off as they heard a male voice clearing his throat.

"It's nice to know some things never change," the man said with a slight chuckle.

"Hey, Sonny Boy….hey, Jennifer," Brian replied, breaking apart from a slightly blushing Justin as he smiled at his son and mother-in-law. The two visitors walked into the library to join them as Gus shook hands with both men and Jennifer received a kiss on the cheek from her son and son-in-law.

"Other than the delay, flight go okay?" Justin asked Gus.

He nodded his head. "Yeah….the passengers weren't too happy to find out we'd been delayed due to a mechanical problem - somehow that didn't instill a great deal of confidence in our plane," he deadpanned as Justin's eyebrows shot up in response. "They assured us it was minor - but I would have rather not seen the mechanic literally banging a wrench around on it, though. Remind me the next time not to look at the actual plane I'll be flying on before I board it, okay?"

Brian grinned at his son. "Sounds like a good idea," he agreed.

"Where's the bride-to-be?" Jennifer asked.

"She's upstairs in her room, finishing getting ready," Justin told his mother. "You should see her, Mom - she looks incredible." He pursed his lips tightly together, vowing not to get all maudlin all over again as Brian placed his hand around his waist.

Jennifer smiled. 'I'm sure she does - I can't wait to see her. Is she nervous?"

Brian looked over at his husband and gazed at him tenderly. "Not as nervous as someone else."

"Brian," Justin murmured, his face reddening slightly in embarrassment as Gus and Jennifer looked over at each other and smiled. Neither were surprised; in fact, they would have been more surprised if Justin _hadn't_ acted this way. After all, it wasn't everyday your only daughter got married.

"Well, I think I'd better get outside and start doing some _ushering_," Gus joked. He turned to offer his grandmother his arm and said, "May I have the honor?"

Jennifer smiled at him and nodded. "You certainly may - I never pass up being escorted somewhere by such a handsome young man."

"We'll catch you two later," Gus told them as he and Jennifer turned around and left the study, leaving the two men alone once more.

Justin sighed softly as he turned to look at his husband. "Well, I guess I have to face facts, Brian - we're about to be replaced by another man."

Brian grinned as he pulled Justin closer to his side and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Not in our hearts, Sunshine. We'll always be the only fathers she ever has - and she'll always be our daughter; that will never change no matter where she is."

Just then, their daughter's friend Jill poked her head in the door. "Issy's ready, " she advised them. "The ceremony's about to start." They could hear the soft strands of a harp playing outside on the patio as the wedding march began.

"We'll be right there, Jill, "Brian told her; the young woman nodded and left to join her place at the beginning of the wedding processional.

"Ready?" Brian whispered to Justin.

Justin gazed into the soft hazel eyes and smiled as he nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be," he replied. The two men clasped hands as they headed toward the door and turned right to walk down the hall to the bottom of the staircase where most of the wedding party was congregated. As they walked up to join them, both men turned their gaze upward to the second-floor landing where their beautiful, glowing daughter stood waiting for them.

Justin and Brian's hearts swelled with pride as Issy smiled fondly down at them; they slowly ascended the stairs to join her. Both men took turns giving their grown-up daughter a firm hug and another kiss on the cheek before taking their place on either side of her.

As they linked arms with her, she clasped a bouquet of pink roses decorated with ribbons of white, lime green, and sky blue in her slender, pale hands. As she gazed over at her biological father with a radiant, Sunshine-reminiscent smile, Justin whispered to her, "Let's go get you married." Slowly, in time with the music, the two men and their daughter descended the staircase to do just that.


	12. Coming Full Circle

_Three Years Later – Britin_

Brian stood in the doorway of the guest room with a bemused smile on his face. "Butterflies again?"

Justin turned to look back at him with a sheepish look on his face and shrugged. "Well, Issy liked it, so I figured like mother...like daughter." He wiped his itchy nose with the back of his hand as he stood there with a paintbrush curled around his fingers, surveying his freshly-completed, latest work of art: a nursery for their new grandchild.

"This is awfully prissy, Justin. You don't even know that it's going to be a girl yet; what if it's a boy instead? Are you trying to create a baby Honeycutt man cave in here?" he teased.

Justin smiled. "That wouldn't be so bad," he decided. "I wouldn't mind a grandchild with Emmett's good qualities."

"Who said any of them are good?" he quipped, his lips curling under into a smile to indicate he was being facetious. He walked further into the newly-remodeled bedroom to get the full effect – Justin had repainted the walls a sky blue and had replaced the previous antique furniture with a white wicker nursery motif, complete with a matching crib, changing table, dresser, and side table. He had even managed to locate a nursery lamp with a squat, white base and a butterfly-decorated lampshade to go on the small, square-shaped table next to the crib.

On every side of the room the winged, multi-colored insects were flying everywhere – around flowers, in puffy, white clouds, over a rainbow, and around mountains and streams. Justin had virtually locked himself inside the room for the past week, ever since he had heard Issy and her husband, Derek, wanted to visit them shortly after their daughter gave birth, so he could decorate one of their guest rooms in preparation for their arrival as a surprise for the new mother. Her due date was only a few days away, and both fathers were anxiously awaiting the big event.

Their daughter and son-in-law, expecting their first child, had decided to buck the trend and wait until their child was born to find out if it was a boy or girl. It certainly provided for a certain amount of suspense, but to the curious, first-time grandfathers, it also caused a moderate degree of trepidation as they waited for their only daughter to give birth. It hadn't helped Justin's design ideas for the visiting nursery, either, not knowing the baby's sex, but he had been so excited about the idea of providing their new grandchild with a special room that he had decided to go ahead and create a neutral environment anyway. That didn't mean he still couldn't decorate it with one of their daughter's favorite things growing up, though.

"I'm not sure the baby will be able to sleep with all this going on," Brian quipped as Justin smacked him on the arm with his free hand. Brian, however, wasn't deterred as he added, "Wouldn't it be easier to just set up a crib inside the Pittsburgh Arboretum?" Justin didn't respond, but as Brian looked at him he noticed his husband's paint-spattered hand being raised in retaliation as he slowly stepped backward. "Justin…..Keep that weapon away from me," he warned as he brought one long index finger up to waggle it in front of the other man's face.

Justin merely smiled innocently as he continued to advance on his husband while he gripped the paintbrush drenched with blue paint, a twinkle in his eyes. "It's just a little paint – don't worry, it's latex."

"We don't _use_ 'latex' anymore, remember?" Brian bantered warily as Justin's smile broadened. Even now, even in his rather precarious predicament, Brian's heart did a flip flop in reaction to that smile; he supposed it would always be that way where Justin was concerned.

"Only if it's still needed," the blond whispered as he continued to back Brian up against the opposite wall.

Fortunately for his husband, the wall had been painted first and was dry. As he felt the hard surface at his back, Brian realized he was pinned in and had no place to go. He held his hands up in front of him before saying, "Justin…..this is my brand new suit. If you get paint all over it….." He left the consequences unsaid; somehow he had a feeling no matter what he threatened, he would wind up the loser anyway.

Justin licked his lips playfully, realizing he had Brian right where he wanted him. Of course, he thought silently with just a hint of smugness, he always _did_ have Brian right where he wanted him; Brian would just not admit it out loud. He didn't have to, though – Justin could always tell by the looks he gave him and by his touch. Brian's touch was the most wonderful thing in the world and as the recipient of Brian Kinney's heart, he considered himself the luckiest man on Earth. Brian eyed him warily as he finally reached over to gingerly dab a spot of sky blue on the chiseled, bronze nose with his brush before using his mouth to work on the _real _masterpiece – his husband's luscious-tasting, cranberry-colored lips he knew so well.

Brian reached up to grab Justin's wrist to hold the paintbrush away from his jacket before responding to the overture; he wrapped his other hand around his husband's neck to angle his face for a deeper kiss as Justin willingly opened his mouth in response. He heard a sigh of contentment as their mouths continued to ravage each other for several seconds before he reluctantly pulled back to stare into the soft blue eyes that always captivated him, even now.

"Smart man, Taylor," he murmured as Justin grinned back at him. "I knew there was a reason why I married you."

The blond smirked as he leaned up to nuzzle Brian's neck; Brian accommodatingly turned it to the side in response as he heard Justin declare, "And here I always thought it was my incredible body."

Brian chuckled as Justin raised his head to peer mischievously into the hazel eyes. "Well, that's sort of tolerable, too," he declared solemnly, curling his lips under as he gazed at Justin and waggled his eyebrows.

Justin snorted. "Well, if it's only _tolerable_, then, it might just take me the rest of the night to finish up this project." He promptly released Brian's hands and began to walk away, only to be grabbed from behind by a pair of long, muscled arms. He squealed as Brian pinned him to the sides and jabbed him, right where he was the most sensitive. "I'm armed!" he warned feebly, unable to stop laughing as Brian began to tickle him then. "Stop it!" he giggled back.

Brian wrestled the paintbrush away from his husband long enough to drop it onto a nearby plastic tarp before continuing his tickling tirade in earnest.

Justin doubled over in laughter over Brian's ministrations. "Br…Brian!" he could barely sputter. "I have to finish the room!" he insisted, unable to keep from wriggling as Brian's talented fingers worked their magic. "The drapes still need to be hung."

Brian finally quit tickling him to slide his arms tightly around Justin's chest as he huskily whispered, "Well, something that's _already hung_ needs taking care of first."

Justin laughed as he placed his hands on top of Brian's and leaned back into his embrace. "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, Brian."

"Don't care," Brian mumbled as he began to rain butterfly kisses all over Justin's pale neck; Justin gasped as he felt a hickey being planted on the tender flesh near his collarbone as Brian bestowed a quick love bite before soothing it with his hot, wet tongue. "Brian….." he began, his conviction quickly disappearing the longer Brian kept nipping and licking at his skin. "I…I need to finish this."

Brian finally lifted his head to whisper in Justin's ear, "Finish it later - she's not due for another week, _Grandpa_." He nipped at the lower fleshy part of Justin's earlobe as he heard a groan in return. "I think we have enough time for a little diversion first, don't you?"

Justin's breath was coming out in little, anticipatory pants now as he finally uttered, "Maybe that would be best; the paint needs to dry anyway."

Brian laughed softly as he turned Justin around and smashed his lips against his; Justin's hands snaked around Brian's waist as the two men kissed passionately for several seconds. Taking Justin's hand in his to walk away from the new nursery soon afterward, the painting project was temporarily forgotten on behalf of more urgent, pleasurable matters.

* * *

_One Week Later – 6:00 a.m._

"Brian?" Silence prevailed.

"Brian?" spoke the louder, more urgent voice as the brunet felt someone poking his side.

"Wha….?" Brian jerked awake to turn and face his husband in their bed. "What is it?"

"Your _phone_!" Justin proclaimed, pointing over to the night table. "Your cell's ringing!"

Brian reached over to pick his phone up and flip it open as he sat up against the headboard. "Yeah?"

Justin watched his husband's face intently as Brian listened to the caller. "When?" he heard him ask as the brunet looked at him and nodded. Justin's heartbeat began to race as he waited anxiously for Brian to say something.

"Really? That's great, Derek! We'll be right there!" He looked over at Justin with a grin on his face. "And tell the new mom we love her, will you?" he added as he snapped his phone shut. As he put the phone down, Justin could hardly wait for his response.

"Well?" he asked anxiously.

"7 lbs., 2 oz.," Brian reported with a smile.

Justin's eyes lit up. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"Human, I guess," was the sarcastic reply as Justin reached over and smacked him in the stomach.

"Asshole!" he muttered. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Brian smiled. "Oh, that….Mother and baby _girl_ are doing just fine, according to our son-in-law."

Justin's eyes lit up as he smiled in relief. "A girl for our girl," he said wistfully. "It's still hard to believe," he admitted, his eyes tearing up suddenly at the sentimental thought. He would have been happy whether it had been a girl or a boy, but he had to admit – he had been secretly hoping for a little granddaughter to spoil, just like they had spoiled their own little girl, and now he had his wish.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Now don't you start that," he warned the blond as he lay back down on the mattress and stared over into Justin's face. "You promised." He couldn't help smiling gently at his tenderhearted mate, though. Truth be told, he was feeling a little melancholy himself over the fact that their little girl was now a mother. Where did all the time go? he wondered. He pulled Justin into his arms for a few seconds as they gave each other a tight congratulatory hug before releasing him and rising from the bed. Standing up, he reached down his hand to his husband and said, "Time to go meet our granddaughter, Mr. Taylor."

* * *

_Lucas General Hospital_ –_ New York City - Two Hours Later  
_

As they hurried down the carpeted hallway of the hospital, Justin couldn't help admiring the muted, tasteful walls of the neonatal unit. Original paintings depicting babies and mothers holding their newborns greeted them at regular intervals; built-in track lighting hung subtly along each wall. It was an understated yet elegant design that no doubt was meant to sooth new mothers' nerves. As he and Brian rushed down the hall toward their daughter's room, however, he realized it had little effect on his _own _nerves because his heart was beating a mile a minute in anticipation.

Slowly the room numbers ticked by until they noticed the one they were eagerly searching for: _56_. As they came to a stop in front of their daughter's private suite, which Brian had insisted on paying for, they looked in the room and spied Derek sitting next to their daughter's bed, his hand holding onto hers through the bedrail. They walked into the room quietly as Derek heard their soft footsteps and turned to smile at them and nod.

"Hey, Dad," Justin whispered softly, beaming like he was the proud father instead as he shook Derek's hand; Brian followed suit as he walked up behind him. They then turned to walk over to the other side of Issy's bed. Their daughter was asleep, her long blond hair jutting out behind the pillow like wisps of gold. A thin, white hospital blanket was pulled up to her waist; she was wearing ivory-colored, silk pajamas with muted pinstripes of sky blue, lime green, and pink – still her favorite colors. In her long, slender hands was a bundle swathed in pink and firmly held in her grasp – her newborn daughter who was currently sleeping peacefully.

Justin's breath caught in his throat as he received his first glimpse of his granddaughter. Until then, he had forgotten just how tiny Issy had been right after she had been born; but now as he examined the almost impossibly little fingernails on his granddaughter's hand that was sticking out of the blanket, and the perfectly-rounded, small pink lips and minuscule button nose, it all came rushing back to him. He could see little wisps of blonde hair peeking out of the pink, knitted cap resting on top of the baby's head, and one tiny, socked foot had sneaked out of the bottom of the blanket as the child lay there, softly taking short, quick puffs of breath as she slept soundly, unaware of the avid attention she was receiving from both grandfathers. He could feel Brian's hand on his upper back as he peered around Justin to lean in and take a look at the newborn.

"She's beautiful, Derek," Justin said to his son-in-law, who beamed back at him proudly and nodded. "Everyone okay?" he asked.

Derek nodded. "Issy and the baby fell asleep about 30 minutes ago," he told them with a whisper, trying not to disturb his wife; he stifled a yawn that abruptly rose to the surface. "She was in labor for about 15 hours before that, though – she's pretty exhausted, but they're doing fine," he assured them.

Brian gazed down at the perfectly-proportioned baby lying in his daughter's arms and was amazed. Amazed that a baby could be so beautiful – okay, maybe he was a little prejudiced here – but also amazed that their own daughter was old enough to have one of her own now. Once more he wondered where all the time had gone; it just seemed like yesterday that he and Justin were getting married and now, as hard as it was to believe, he was a fucking _grandfather_. A sexy grandfather, he readily admitted, but still a grandfather nonetheless. An unbidden thought came to his mind as he whispered in Justin's ear, "I bet she's got a perfect little bubble butt underneath that blanket, just like someone else I know."

Justin laughed softly. "Only _you_ would think about that, Gramps," he kidded his husband, who pinched him lightly in his _own_ bubble butt in response. "Maybe you'll find out when she needs her diaper changed soon." Brian scrunched up his nose at that distasteful thought as Justin smiled.

As they gazed into the angelic face of their new granddaughter, Issy began to move almost imperceptibly in the bed as her golden-kissed eyelids fluttered open and she focused on her fathers standing by her bedside. As she realized they were there, and remembered the precious, tiny bundle lying in her arms, she smiled softly back at them and whispered, "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Justin told her, reaching over to tenderly brush some rebellious strands of hair back from her face; even though she was now a young woman – a young mother – Issy's hair was still as long and stubborn as ever. Presently she had it tied back into a loose ponytail, her thick blond mane barely restrained by the elastic band holding it.

"She's beautiful, Princess," Brian told her fondly, smiling as Issy beamed.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked Justin softly; she watched her biological father's eyes light up in response as she gently lifted the newborn toward him.

Justin reached out to accept his granddaughter as he cradled the small child in his arms and rocked her back and forth slightly as he swayed his body to a silent tune only he could hear. He couldn't keep his eyes off the cherubic, slightly chubby, pale face. "She looks like you, Honey," he decided, noting the baby had Issy's ears and facial shape, along with the same type lips.

"She looks like someone _else _I know," he heard Brian whisper by his neck as he stared down in captivation at this latest addition to their expanding family. "I wonder what color eyes she has?"

"Blue," Derek confirmed, nodding with a smile. "Same exact shade as mother and grandfather."

Issy laughed softly. "Yeah, Derek asked me if he had anything to do with the birth or not – he claims he can't see any of him in her."

"Well, unless I've missed some sort of latest medical advance, I would say it's a safe bet that you did," Brian quipped as the other three grinned. He watched amused as Justin continued to stare at the baby as if he were in a trance; or, more likely, reliving the day they had brought their own daughter home from the hospital. Justin hadn't been able to take his eyes off Issy then, too; of course, neither had he, either.

He couldn't resist reaching into his jacket to take a small, rectangular digital camera out of his pocket and stand far enough away so he could take a photo of grandfather and granddaughter. Justin's look of joy on his face as he stared down at the newborn he held in his hands was just too incredible to pass up.

Justin glanced up as he saw the flash and he beamed back at Brian. "Isn't she just amazing, Brian?" he asked reverently as he peered down at the miracle lying in his arms.

Brian nodded with a gentle smile. "She sure is," he couldn't help agreeing. _You both are_, he couldn't help thinking silently as he continued to study the sight of his husband holding their new granddaughter in his arms, just like he had done with their own daughter.

"Do you want to hold him, too, Daddy?" he heard Issy ask from her bed; Brian looked over at her, suddenly a little hesitant to be entrusted with such a priceless treasure.

Issy, however, knew her father was itching to do just that even though he wouldn't admit it out loud. She had seen enough photos of her father holding her brother Gus and herself when they were young to realize that he had secretly treasured those moments. As she looked at him now, she could see the same look of eagerness in his eyes as Justin smiled tenderly at him and walked over to gently place the baby in his outstretched arms.

As he nestled the warm, sleeping child in his arms and marveled at the familiar baby-powder smell, Brian's mind instantly wandered back to when Gus was born and Lindsey has asked him the same thing; he remembered the mixture of both fear and excitement he had felt at the time as she placed the fragile bundle in his arms, and the wondrous feeling he had experienced when Gus had gazed up at him with eyes the same color as his own. And when Issy had been born, he had felt the same feeling, perhaps even more so, because Justin was the father. Every time he looked at her, he also saw the man he loved so deeply peering back at him and it filled him with an almost indescribable feeling of contentment and fulfillment.

A tender smile broke out on his face as he peered down into the latest edition to their family. He watched, fascinated, as the baby emitted soft, barely-discernible whimpering sounds as her impossibly-tiny golden eyelashes fluttered and he at last got a peek at the sapphire-blue eyes that were struggling to open. His smile widened in pleasure as he looked over at Justin and whispered, "Derek's right – she's got eyes just like yours and Issy's." That fact made him inordinately pleased for some reason as Justin smiled back at him radiantly.

Justin walked over to grab Brian's camera that he had placed down on the rolling, portable hospital table and snapped a photo of his husband holding their granddaughter as Brian continued to stare in captivation at the child.

A few seconds later, the baby's whimper began to slowly rise in crescendo now that she was fully awake, eventually turning into a dainty little cry as Brian looked up somewhat helplessly. "Uh….," he began, not quite sure what to do. It wasn't that he hadn't had plenty of experience taking care of Issy when she had been born, but it always seemed like Justin was much better at handling these types of moments.

"Here's your chance, grandpa," Justin teased back at him. "Maybe she needs changing."

The look on Brian's face was priceless as he held the baby in front of his outstretched arms toward Justin like she was some sort of dead rat. "I can wait," he decided abruptly as Justin laughed and took the newborn from him. Feeling her bottom to determine she was actually dry, he began to make soft, clucking sounds at the child in hopes of quieting her while he rocked softly from side to side. When that didn't work, he began to hum and then eventually quietly sing the same song he had sung so long ago to Issy when she was young – the horse lullaby. To everyone's amazement, after several seconds, the child stopped crying and gazed up into Justin's eyes as if mesmerized by the sound.

Issy smiled, tears coming to her eyes as she recognized the song; her father had sung it to her so many times when she was a little girl – anytime she was afraid or sad for some reason. It had always soothed her, and it seems it had the same effect on her newborn daughter as well. Once more, she realized how lucky she was to have these two loving, courageous, and strong yet gentle men as her fathers.

"Poppa? Daddy? You haven't asked me what her name is yet," she reminded them, as she looked over at Derek, who smiled at her. Issy had given a lot of thought to the issue and after discussing it with her husband, she had been thrilled to find out that he was in agreement with her choice.

Both men turned to look at her as Justin continued to hold the child in his arms. "What did you two decide on, Honey?" Justin asked her curiously as he held up one of the baby's hands to playfully nip at the fingers there; he was astounded by how tiny they were – he couldn't remember Issy's fingers ever being so small, or so perfect, but he knew they must have been. Everything about their daughter had been perfect – and still was.

Issy smiled tenderly at both men as she advised them, "Well, Derek and I talked it over – and we decided to name her Taylor Brianna Halstead…if that's okay with you."

Brian looked over at Justin and rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he saw the predictable tears began to well up in his husband's eyes. He didn't dare admit that his own heart was welling up with pride as he smiled back at their daughter and confirmed, "Princess, that is just fine with us."

Justin pursed his lips to try and keep the tears from falling as he whispered, "We're honored, Honey. Thank you – both of you," he added, looking over at Derek and nodding his gratitude for agreeing to her wishes.

"You're welcome, Justin," Derek told him. "_We're_ the ones who are honored." In the three years that he and Issy had been married, he had come to admire and respect these two men who had raised his wife to be such an incredible woman. He felt this was a small way to repay them for the wonderful soulmate he had married, and it had made her happy – that was the most important thing of all.

The two men spent several more minutes with the newly-created family before they realized their daughter was getting tired. When the nurse came in to place the baby back into the nearby bassinet, they reluctantly realized it was time to leave.

"We're going to go, Issy, and give you some time to rest," Brian told her as he walked over to lean down and give her a kiss on the cheek. "You're still coming over to visit us soon, though, right?" he said, referring to the previous promise she had made to come down and spend some time with them at Britin.

"We sure are, Daddy," she assured him. "You don't think I'd turn down some help with the baby, do you?" she teased with a smile as she looked over at her husband. "I'm sure Derek wouldn't mind that, either," she added as he nodded with a grin.

"Good," Brian said, nodding. "We'll be ready for you whenever you decide to come," he said, glancing over at Justin with a conspiratorial look; neither Issy nor Derek had any inkling about Justin's secret nursery project, and he knew in spite of how much he had teased his husband about it, their daughter would be delighted with the butterfly motif.

She nodded as Justin walked over to repeat the same motion, bending down to gently grab Issy's neck and bestow a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll call you when we get ready to come," she told her father, who smiled and nodded.

"We'll be looking forward to it, Honey," he whispered as he stood up and walked over to Brian, who placed a hand on his waist companionably. The two men walked over to Derek to shake his hand in departure and congratulate the new father once more before they finally left.

As the two disappeared out of sight, Issy turned to her husband with tears in her eyes. "I'm very lucky, Sweetheart," she whispered, reaching out her hand to clasp his. And she _was _lucky – she had a wonderful, caring husband, a brand-new, beautiful baby girl, a big brother she adored, and two incredible fathers who had provided her with everything she could ever need, material as well as emotional. As Derek smiled at her, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

* * *

_Two Hours Later_

Brian glanced over at his husband, who was being unusually quiet on the plane as it wended its way back toward their home. They were seated in their customary, favorite first-class seats – two located in the last row before the business-class section. It normally provided them with more privacy than the other premium seats, having a wall behind them and situated at a slight angle from the other seats.

Brian used that advantage at the moment to reach over and clasp Justin's hand in his. At the first moment of contact, Justin turned his head to look into Brian's intense, hazel eyes and gave him a tender, wistful smile – a smile that told Brian he was well aware his husband knew that he could see right through him. He sighed first before whispering, "It doesn't seem like it's been over 25 years now."

Brian smiled back at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "I know," he had to admit. "So…..has it been good for you, Taylor?" he quipped.

Justin chuckled softly before his face morphed into more of a tender look as he replied sincerely, "Yes…it's been _very_ good, Mr. Kinney." He gazed into Brian's eyes before adding, "It's been damn wonderful, in fact. I wouldn't have traded any of it for a second – not even the bad times. I think that's made the good times all the more sweeter."

Brian huffed good-naturedly. "Well, let's not make it sound like our wake or something….I think I might have a few good years left yet."

Justin laughed as he leaned his head on Brian's shoulder and looked down at their clasped hands; his wedding band gleamed in the overhead cabin light as he whispered, "I know you do. And I'm looking forward to each one of them. I just hope I can keep up with you," he teased.

He heard Brian harrumph softly. "Something tells me that won't be a problem," he whispered back as he turned his head enough to give Justin a quick buss on the cheek. "I'll be looking forward to it, too."

"Brian?"

"Hmm?" he murmured back as he tilted his head and laid it on top of the soft, blond hair.

"I'm glad I got a picture of you with our new granddaughter. When we get home, I have a new painting to do….and I know just where to hang it."

* * *

**_A/N: The End! Thank you so much for reading - your parting thoughts would be greatly appreciated.:)_**


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